SEVENTH  THOUSAND. 


LIFE 


or 


NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE, 


EMPEROR  OF  FRANCE. 


BY   J.   G.    LOCKHART, 


4  VTCW  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  COKKKCTED. 


AUBURN  AND  BUFFALO: 

MILLER,   ORTON   &  MULLIGAN, 

1854. 


IDC903 


Entered  sctTdtaing  to  Jljst  tf/  pbngress,  A.  D.,  1851,  by 

j.     .  .  D  JE  R  B.  7,.*  t  H  I  L  L  &  Jl , 

In  the  Clerk's  omc.e;o:-tUe/DJstri(*  C«wt  o£  t&fe  United  States  for  the  Northern 
District  of  "tfe'w  Vort 


AUBUEN : 

MILLKB,   ORTON    &    MULLIGAN 
STKEEOTYPEBS  AND  PBINTEES. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  following  life  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  is  mainly  an  abridgment 
of  Lockhart's  Napoleon.  Many  parts  have  been  re-written  entirely, 
and  the  whole  has  been  so  carefully  emended  that  it  is  believed  that 
in  this  book  will  be  found  a  better  portraiture  of  the  remarkable  man 
whose  history  it  relates  than  in  the  original  work.  An  Englishman  is. 
in  many  respects,  unqualified  to  judge  fairly  of  Napoleon ;  and  Lock- 
hart  has  failed  to  hold  up  his  character  in  what,  to  an  unprejudiced 
mind,  would  readily  appear  to  be  the  proper  aspect.  It  lias  been  the 
object  of  the  Editor  of  the  present  work  to  remedy  this  defect,  and  to 
represent  Bonaparte  more  as  he  was,  when  viewed  as  a  subject  of  his- 
tory, than  as  he  appeared  to  be  when  contemplated  by  an  Englishman 
solely  as  the  bitterest  foe  to  his  nation. 

There  are  various  orders  of  greatness  among  which  a  great  man 
may  be  classed.  The  first,  because  the  highest,  is  moral  greatness, 
where  the  soul  binds  itself  to  virtue,  and  passes  its  life  in  strict  ad- 
herence to  duty  and  truth.  Nothing  can  break  it  from  its  allegiance. 
The  storms  may  rage  and  the  billows  madly  dash  around  it,  but  its 
"  sure  and  steadfast"  anchor  enables  it  to  ride  securely  amid  the  tem- 
pests and  the  waves.  Whatever  may  befall  it,  nothing  can  shake  its 
virtue.  The  rational  spirit  beats  back  every  claim  of  sense,  and  rises 
with  a  serene  complacency  triumphant  over  every  colliding  interest. 
Such  a  soul  does  not  shut  itself  up  in  cloisters,  thinking  it  can  best 
overcome  temptations  by  fleeing  from  them; — it  does  not  mortify  the 
body  in  the  vain  hope  of  resisting  its  appetites  by  destroying  them ; — it 
boldly  meets  its  foe  and  vanquishes  it  in  fair  and  open  combat ; — it  keeps 
the  body  under  subjection,  but  allows  it  to  remain  a  body  still.  It 
moves  among  men,  shedding  all  around  its  benign  influences,  winning 
men  to  admire  and  love  the  truth.  Joy  and  peace  and  gladness  flow 
from  its  steps  as  naturally  as  light  issues  from  the  uprisen  sun.  It  may 
animate  the  body  of  a  Howard,  and  the  prisoner's  heart  shall  leap  with 
gladness,  and  the  darkness  of  the  dungeon  flee  away  at  its  approach. 
It  may  live  in  a  Wilberforce  or  a  Clarkson,  and  the  captive  loses  his 
fetters,  and  the  slave  walks  forth  a  freeman  at  its  voice.  It  may  inspire 
the  heart  of  a  missionary  of  the  Cross,  and  will  be  seen  when  the  gentle 
Martyn  joyfully  dies  under  the  Persian  palm-tree,  or  the  heroic 
Schwartz  proclaims  his  sublime  message  to  the  waiting  thousands  of 
India,  and  gladly  labors  amid  privations  and  toil  for  the  cause  he  has 
espoused.  It  passes  away  from  among  us,  and  we  think  of  it  as  of  a 
star  which  has  left  our  firmament  to  shed  its  rays  over  fairer  scenes 
than  any  earth  can  boast.  There  have  been  such  souls,  but  Bonaparte's 
greatness  was  not  of  this  class.  There  was  nothing  in  his  life  which 
allows  us  to  rank  him  among  the  morally  great.  The  Apostle  Paul  is 
the  noblest  human  example  of  this  character;  but  who  would  place 
Napoleon  in  the  same  rank  of  greatness  with  him  ? 


IV  INTRODUCTION. 

Next  in  order  is  intellectual  greatness.  A  soul  intellectually  great 
lifts  itself  above  the  earth,  and  spends  its  life  in  a  world  of  its  own 
creation.  It  looks  down  upon  the  storm  of  human  passions,  itself  above 
their  tumult  and  unaffected  by  their  rage.  Its  end  is  to  know  the 
truth.  The  truth  is  its  food  and  its  joy.  It  searches  nature  over  that 
it  may  find  the  truth.  It  explores  the  earth,  whose  rock-bound  volumes 
are  made  to  open  and  disclose  their  hidden  meaning  to  its  gaze.  It 
scans  the  heavens,  and  makes  each  star  to  minister  to  its  cravings.  Its 
ceaseless  yearnings  lead  it  to  the  human  spirit,  whose  wondrous  powers 
yield  their  tribute  to  its  earnest  scrutiny.  Everywhere  it  is  looking 
for  the  truth.  This  is  its  great  mission,  and  it  stops  not  till  it  accom- 
plishes it.  It  cares  nothing  for  facts,  only  as  these  may  give  it  prin- 
ciples. It  searches  for  the  science  of  things,  but  things  themselves  are 
valueless  only  as  they  illustrate  it.  It  searches  for  the  laws  which 
regulate  the  universe,  and  will  not  rest  till  these  are  found.  Now, 
here  is  greatness,  and  that  too  of  a  high  order,  though  inferior  to  the 
former.  There  are  more  who  belong  to  this  class  than  to  the  morally 
great ;  but  we  cannot  rank  Napoleon  even  here.  He  was  not  an  in- 
tellectually great  man,  viewed  as  we  have  regarded  the  term.  Plato, 
the  world's  great  teacher  in  philosophy,  stands  in  his  sublime  loneliness 
first  of  all  who  may  claim  this  title ;  but  who  would  think  of  placing 
Napoleon  in  the  same  rank  of  greatness  with  him  ? 

A  third  order  of  greatness  is  that  of  action.  A  great  actor  may  be 
neither  morally  nor  intellectually  great  in  the  sense  above  given  to  the 
terms.  As  an  actor  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  abstractions.  His 
business  is  with  men  and  things.  Virtue  and  truth  are  nothing  to  him 
as  ends,  but  are  both  subservient  to  the  higher  end  with  him  of  making 
everything  move  according  to  his  grand  purposes.  His  delight  is  in 
Revolutions,  and  the  wild  upheavirigs  of  society  where  long-established 
dynasties  sink  to  nothingness,  and  powerful  thrones  crumble  to  dust  in 
a  day.  War  nourishes  him  with  its  scenes  of  carnage ;  the  roar  of 
battle  is  sweet  music  in  his  ear.  It  is  his  joy  to  play  with  the  wild 
elements  of  human  passion,  and  guide  them  all  according  to  his  will 
The  sceptre  and  the  sword  are  the  instruments  lie  wields ;  the  court 
and  the  camp  are  his  home.  When  a  nation  is  born,  his  name  is 
written  in  blood  or  in  tears  upon  its  baptismal  register.  Men  fear,  but 
few  love  him.  He  awes  all  into  submission,  and  makes  them  live  only 
as  he  dispenses  his  favors.  Now  in  this  is  greatness,  and  here  we  must 
place  Napoleon.  He  was  the  greatest  actor  that  the  world  has  known 
since  the  time  of  Caesar.  He  sported  with  crowns  and  sceptres  as  the 
baubles  of  a  child.  He  rode  triumphantly  to  power  over  the  ruins  of 
the  thrones  with  which  he  strewed  his  pathway.  Vast  armies  melted 
away  like  wax  before  him.  He  moved  over  the  earth  as  a  meteor 
traverses  the  sky,  astonishing  and  startling  all  by  the  suddenness  and 
brilliancy  of  his  career.  Here  was  his  greatness.  The  earth  will  feel 
his  power  till  its  last  cycle  shall  have  been  run.  He  might  have 
been  great  in  his  love  of  virtue  or  of  truth,  but  he  forsook  these  and 
chose  a  meaner  end  of  life.  Verily  he  hath  his  reward. 

"  The  warrior's  name, 

Tho'  pealed  and  chimed  on  all  the  tongues  of  fame, 
Sounds  less  harmonious  to  the  grateful  mind, 
Than  his,  who  fashions  and  improves  mankind." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PA0B 

Birth  of  Napoleon — His  Education  at  Brienne  and  at  Paris — Enters 
the  Army — His  First  Military  Service — At  Toulon — Junot — 
At  Nice — Fall  of  Robespierre — Bonaparte  at  Paris — He  com- 
mands the  Army  of  the  Interior — Marries  Josephine — Appointed 
to  the  Command  of  the  Army  of  Italy — His  Tactics — Campaign 
of  Piedmont — Peace  granted  to  Sardinia — The  French  cross 
the  Po— The  Battle  of  Fombio — The  Bridge  of  Lodi — Napoleon 
occupies  Milan — Mantua  besieged — Peace  with  the  King  of  the 
Two  Sicilies— The  Pope  buys  a  Respite— A.  D.  1769-1796,  .  9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Wurmser  supersedes  Beaulieu — The  Austrians  advance  from  the 
Tyrol — Battle  of  Lonato — Escape  of  Napoleon — Castiglione — 
Wurrnser  retreats  on  Trent,  and  is  recruited — He  is  shut  up  in 
Mantua — Alvinzi  is  sent  by  Austria  to  Italy — The  three  Battles 
of  Arcola — Retreat  of  Alvinzi — Rivoli — Surrender  of  Mantua — 
Despair  of  the  Pope — Treaty  of  Tollentio — The  Archduke 
Charles — Battle  of  Tagliamento — Retreat  of  the  Archduke — 

*  Treaty  of  Leoben— Pichegru — The  Directory  in  Trouble,  and 
appeal  to  Bonaparte — Josephine — The  Court  of  Montebello— ^ 
The  Treaty  of  Campo-Formio— A.  D.  1796-1797,     .         .        .    43 

CHAPTER  III. 

Napoleon  at  Rastadt — He  arrives  at  Paris— His  Reception  by  the 
Directory— He  is  appointed  to  command  the  Army  for  the  In- 
vasion of  England — He  recommends  an  Expedition  to  Egypt — 
Voyage  to  Egypt — Malta  surrendered — Arrival  in  Egypt — The 
March  up  the  Nile — Battle  of  the  Pyramids — -Cairo  surrenders  ^ 
—Battle  of  Aboukir — Bonaparte's  Administration  in  Egypt — 
Armaments  of  the  Porte — Bonaparte  at  Suez — Siege  of  Acre— 
Retreat  to  Egypt—  Ppfeat  of  the  Turks  at  Aboukir— Bonaparte 


VI  CONTENTS. 

/  P-VOB 

embarks  for  France — Retrospect — Bonaparte  in  Paris^— Revolu- 
tion of  the  18th  Brumaire — The  Provisional  Consulate — A.  D. 
1798-1799,  .  .  ' ...-.  , 72 

CHAPTER  IV. 

i/ 
Reforms  in  France— The  Chouans — Constitution  of  the  Year  VIII. 

— Bonaparte  writes  to  the  King  of  England — Lord  Grenville's 
Answer — Movements  for  War — Napoleon  at  the  Alps — Passes 
the  Great  St.  Bernard— Difficulties— The  taking  of  St.  Bard 
— The  Siege  of  Genoa — The  Battle  of  Marengo — Italy  recon- 
quered— Napoleon  returns  to  Paris— Reception  there— Plots 
against  him — Ceracchi — The  Infernal  Machine — Austria — Battle 
of  Hohenlinden— Treaty  of  Luneville— A.  D.  1799-1800,  .  110 

CHAPTER  V. 

Affairs  of  Naples  and  the  Pope— The  EmperDr  Paul  of  Russia — 
Northern  Confederacy  against  England — Nelson — Egypt — The 
Flotilla  of  Boulogne — Negotiations  with  England — Peace  of 
Amiens — Results — The  Concordat — The  Legion  of  Honor — 
Bonaparte  President  of  the  Cis- Alpine  Republic— First  Consul 
for  Life— Grand  Mediator  of  the  Helvetic  Confederacy— St. 
Domingo — Toussaint  1'Overture — England  refuses  to  carry  out 
the  Treaty — Lord  Whitworth — Rupture  of  the  Peace  of  Amiens 
— Barbarous  Course  of  England  and  France — A.  D.  1800-1803,  142 

CHAPTER  VI. 

War  again — French  seize  Hanover  and  Naples — English  take  St. 
Domingo  and  other  Colonies— Scheme  of  invading  England 
resumed — Plots  against  Napoleon — Murder  of  the  Duke  D'En- 
ghien — Napoleon  Emperor  of  France^— King  of  Italy — New 
Coalition  against  France — Napoleon  heads  the  Army  in  Ger- 
many— Operations  of  the  War — Battle  of  Austerlitz — Treaty  of 
Presburg — Confederation  of  the  Rhine — Prussia  declares  War 
— Bonaparte  heads  the  Army — Naumburg  taken — Battle  of 
Jena — Napoleon  enters  Berlin — Humiliation  of  Prussia — Inci- 
dent—A. D.  1803—1806, -\B3 

.     CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Decrees  of  Berlin — Napoleon  renews  the  Campaign — War- 
saw taken — Battle  of  Pultusk — Bennigsen — Battle  of  Preuss- 
Eylau — Taking  of  Dantzic — Battle  of  Friedland — Armistice — 
Conferences  of  PiKit — lYr.oe — Coalition  n^.iinst  England — In- 


CONTENTS.  Vl 

/  ,  PAQB 

ternal  Affairs  of  "Franrt'.- — T\\(*  ^^minisff^t.ifm  nf  ISTapoleoiiJ— • 
His  rlflborsI-'J1he  flmirt^Rftla.t.inna  with  Spain  and  Portugal — 
Intrigues  of  the  Spanish  Court — Murat  at  Madrid — Charles  and 
Ferdinand  abdicate  at  Bayonne — Insurrection  of  the  Spaniards 
against  the  French — Napoleon  visits  Spain — Reverses  followed 
by  Success— A.  D.  1806— 1808, 206 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Austria  declares  War — Napoleon  heads  his  Army  in  Germany — 
Battles  of  Landshut  and  Eckmuhl — Vienna — Battles  of  Asperne 
and  Essling,  and  Wagram — Napoleon  quarrels  with  the  Pope — 
Treaty  of  Schoenbrunn — Napoleon  divorces  Josephine — Marries 
the  Archduchess  Maria  Louisa — Deposes  Louis  Bonaparte — 
State  of  the  Peninsula — Birth  of  the  King  of  Rome — Fouch6 — 
Relations  with  Russia — Military  Preparations — Cardinal  Fesch 
— "War  proclaimed — Arrangement  of  the  Armies — Passage  of 
the  Niemen— Napoleon  at  Wilna— A.  D.  1809—1812,  .  233 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Russia  makes  Peace  with  England,  Sweden  and  Turkey — Internal 
Preparations — Napoleon  leaves  Wilna — Smolensko — Borodino 
— Napoleon  at  Moscow — Constancy  and  Enthusiasm  of  the  Rus- 
sians— Napoleon  quits  Moscow — Battles — Retreat — Repeated 
Defeats  and  Sufferings  of  the  French — Passage  of  the  Beresina 
— Napoleon  quits  the  Army — His  Arrival  at  Warsaw — At 
Dresden — At  Paris — Conspiracy  of  Mallet — Prussia  declares 
War — Blucher — Bernadotte — Campaign  of  Saxony  begins — 
Battle  of  Bautzen — Armistice — Congress  of  Prague — A.  D. 
1812—1813, .  .  .  .  263 

CHAPTER  X. 

Napoleon  and  Metternich — Intelligence  from  Spain — Congress  of 
Prague  dissolved — Austria  declares  War — Battle  of  Dresden — 
Culm — Dennewitz — Napoleon  retires  from  the  Elbe — The  Battle 
of  Leipsic — Hanau — The  Allies  on  the  Rhine — Germany  and 
Denmark — Declaration  of  the  Allies  at  Frankfort — Holland — 
Italy — Spain — Obstinacy  of  Napoleon — His  Military  Prepara- 
tions— The  Campaign  of  France — Superhuman  efforts  of  Bona- 
parte— Ultimate  Failure— The  Allies  take  Possession  of  Paris — 
Napoleon  abdicates — Banished  to  Elba — His  Conduct  and  Occu- 
pations there — Discontents  in  France — Jealousy  of  the  Army — 
Napoleon  escapes  from  Elba— A.  D.  1S13— 1815,  .  .  297 


V  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XL 

Napoleon  again  in  France — The  Hundred  Days — The  Emperor 
upon  the  Throne  once  more — Prepares  for  War — He  heads  his 
Army  on  the  Belgian  Frontier — Defeats  Blucher  at  Ligny — 
Battle  of  Quatre-bras — The  English  fall  back  on  Waterloo- 
Battle  of  Waterloo— Napoleon  arrives  at  Paris — Abdicates 
again — At  Rochefort — Embarks  in  the  Bellerophon — Decision 
of  the  English  Government — Napoleon  banished  to  St.  Helena—- 
His Life  at  Longwood — Sir  Hudson  Lowe — The  Health  of  the 
Captive  fails— Dies  at  St.  Helena  May  5th,  1821,  aged  52  years 
—A.  D.  1815—1821, 854 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


BIRTH  OF  NAPOLEON — His  EDUCATION  AT  BRIENNE  AND  AT  PARIS — Enters 
the  Army — His  First  Military  Service — At  Toulon — Junot — At  Nice 
— Fall  of  Robespierre — Bonaparte  at  Paris — He  commands  the  Army 
of  the  Interior — Marries  Josephine — Appointed  to  the  Command  of 
the  Army  of  Italy — His  Tactics — Campaign  of  Piedmont — Peace 
granted  to  Sardinia — The  French  cross  the  Po — The  Battle  of  Fom- 
bio — The  Bridge  of  Lodi — Napoleon  occupies  Milan — Mantua  be- 
sieged— Peace  with  the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies — The  Pope  buys  a 
Respite— A.  D.  1769-1796. 

NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE  was  born  at  Ajaccio,  on  the 
island  of  Corsica,  August  15th,  1769.  Of  his  boyish 
days  few  anecdotes  have  been  preserved  in  Corsica. 
His  chosen  plaything,  they  say,  was  a  small  brass  can- 
non ;  and,  when  at  home  in  the  school-vacations,  his 
favorite  retreat  was  a  solitary  summer-house  among 
the  rocks  on  the  sea-shore,  about  a  mile  from  Ajaccio, 
where  his  mother's  brother  (afterward  cardinal  Fesch) 
had  a  villa.  The  place  is  now  in  ruins,  and  overgrown 
with  bushes,  and  the  people  call  it  "  Napoleon's  Grotto.1' 
He  has  himself  said  that  he  was  remarkable  only  for 
obstinacy  and  curiosity  :  others  add,  that  he  was  high- 
spirited,  quarrelsome,  imperious;  fond  of  solitude; 
slovenly  in  his  dress.  Being  detected  stealing  figs  in 
an  orchard,  the  proprietor  threatened  to  tell  his  mother, 
and  the  boy  pleaded  for  himself  with  so  much  eloquence, 
that  the  man  suffered  him  to  escape.  His  careless  at- 
tire, and  his  partiality  for  a  pretty  little  girl  in  the 
neighborhood,  were  ridiculed  together  in  a  song  which 


iO  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1776. 

his  playmates  used  to  shout  after  him  in  the  streets  of 
Ajaccio : 

"  Napoleone  di  mezza  calzetta 
Fa  1'amore  a  Giacominetta."* 

His  superiority  of  character  was  very  early  felt.  An 
aged  relation,  Lucien  Bonaparte,  archdeacon  of  Ajac- 
cio, called  the  children  about  his  death-bed  to  take 
farewell  and  bless  them  :  "  You,  Joseph,"  said  the  ex- 
.piring  taati,'"'jare.rthe  eldest ;  but  Napoleon  is  the  head 
of  4tiis^  farnify.  T.ake  care  to  remember  my  words." 
Napoleon  iook excellent  care  that  they  should  not  be 
forgotten.  *  'He  began  with  beating  his  elder  brother 
into  subjection. 

From  his  earliest  youth  he  chose  arms  for  his  profes- 
sion. When  he  was  about  seven  years  old  (1776),  his 
father  was  sent  to  France  as  one  of  a  deputation  from 
the  Corsican  noblesse  to  king  Louis  XVI. ;  and  Napo- 
leon, for  whom  admission  had  been  procured  into  the 
military  school  of  Brienne,  accompanied  him.  After 
seeing  part  of  Italy,  and  crossing  France,  they  reached 
Paris ;  and  the  boy  was  soon  established  in  his  school, 
where,  at  first,  everything  delighted  him,  though  forty 
years  afterward,  he  said  he  should  never  forget  the  bit- 
ter parting  with  his  mother  ere  he  set  out  on  his  travels. 
His  progress  in  Latin,  and  in  literature  generally,  at- 
tracted no  great  praise ;  but  in  every  study  likely  to 
be  of  service  to  the  future  soldier,  he  distinguished 
himself  above  his  contemporaries.  He  cared  little  for 
common  pastimes  ;  but  his  love  for  such  as  mimicked 
war  was  extreme ;  and  the  skill  of  his  fortifications, 
reared  of  turf,  or  of  snow,  according  to  the  season,  and 
the  address  and  pertinacity  with  which  he  conducted 
their  defence,  attracted  the  admiration  of  all  observers. 
Napoleon  was  poor,  and  all  but  a  foreigner^  among  the 
French  youth,  and  underwent  many  mortifications  from 

*  Napoleon,  with  his  stockings  about  his  heels,  makes  love 'to  Gia- 
tominetta. 

f  Corsica  became  by  law  a  French  department  only  two  months 
before  Napoleon  wa^  born.  A  short  time  previously  to  his  birth,  an 
ineffectual  effort  had  been  imde  by  the  Corsicans  under  General  Paoli 
:<>  rivci'.l  the  domination  <'f  the  French. 


1785.]  PARIS.  11 

both  causes.  The  haughtiness  with  which  some  of 
these  conducted  themselves  towards  this  poor,  solitary 
alien,  had  a  strong  effect  on  his  subsequent  character. 
His  temper  was  reserved  and  proud  ; — he  had  fe.w 
friends, — no  bosom  companion  ;  he  lived  by  himself, 
and  among  his  books  and  maps.  Yet,  when  any 
scheme  requiring  skill  and  courage  was  in  agitation,  he 
was  pretty  sure  to  be  called  in  as  temporary  dictator. 
In  1783,  Bonaparte  was,  on  the  recommendation  of 
his  masters,  sent  from  Brienne  to  the  Royal  Military 
School  at  Paris  ;  this  being  an  extraordinary  compli- 
ment to  the  genius  and  proficiency  of  a  boy  of  four- 
teen. Here  he  spent  nearly  three  years,  devoted  to  his 
studies.  That  he  labored  hard  we  may  judge  ;  for  his 
after-life  left  scanty  room  for  book-work,  and  of  the 
vast  quantity  of  information  which  his  strong  memory 
ever  pfaced  at  his  disposal,  the  far  greater  proportion 
must  have  been  accumulated  now.  He  made  himself 
a  first-rate  mathematician  ;  he  devoured  history — his 
chosen  authors  being  Plutarch  and  Tacitus  ;  the  former 
the  most  simple  painter  that  antiquity  has  left  us  of 
heroic  characters — the  latter  the  profoundest  master 
of  political  wisdom.  The  poems  of  Ossian  were  then 
new  to  Europe,  and  generally  received  as  authentic 
remains  of  another  age  and  style  of  heroism.  The  dark 
and  lofty  genius  which  they  display,  their  indistinct 
but  solemn  pictures  of  heroic  passions,  love,  battle,  vic- 
tory, and  death,  were  appropriate  food  for  Napoleon's 
young  imagination  ;  and,  his  taste  being  little  scru- 
pulous as  to  minor  particulars,  Ossian  continued  to 
be  through  life  his  favorite  poet.  While  at  Paris, 
he  attracted  much  notice  among  those  who  had  access 
to  compare  him  with  his  fellows;  his  acquirements, 
among  other  advantages,  admitted  him  to  the  familiar 
society  of  the  celebrated  Abbe  Raynal.  He  had  just 
completed  his  sixteenth  year  when,  (in  August,  1785,) 
after  being  examined  by  the  great  Laplace,  he  obtained 
his  first  commission  as  second  lieutenant  in  the  artil- 
lery regiment  La  Fere.  His  corps  was  at  Valance  when 
he  joined  it ;  and  he  mingled,  more  largely  than  might 
have  been  expected  from  his  previous  habits,  in  the 


12  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1792 

cultivated  society  of  the  place.  His  personal  advan- 
tages were  considerable ;  the  outline  of  the  counte- 
nance classically  beautiful ;  the  eye  deep-set  and  daz- 
zlingly  brilliant ;  the  figure  short,  but  slim,  active,  and 
perfectly  knit.  Courtly  grace  and  refinement  of  man- 
ners he  never  attained,  nor  perhaps  coveted ;  but  he 
early  learned  the  art,  not  difficult  probably  to  any  per- 
son possessed  of  such  genius  and  such  accomplish- 
ments, of  rendering  himself  eminently  agreeable  wher- 
ever it  suited  his  purpose  or  inclination  to  be  so. 

In  the  beginning  of  1792,  he  became  captain  of  ar- 
tillery ;  and,  happening  to  be  in  Paris,  witnessed  the 
terrible  scenes  of  the  20th  of  June,  when  the  revolu- 
tionary mob  stormed  the  Tuileries,  and  the  king  and 
his  family,  after  undergoing  innumerable  insults  and 
degradations,  with  the  utmost  difficulty  preserved  their 
lives  ;  and  of  the  still  darker  10th  of  August,  when,  the 
palace  being  once  more  invested,  the  national  guard 
assigned  for  its  defence  took  part  with  the  assailants  ; 
the  royal  family  were  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the 
national  assembly,  and  the  brave  Swiss  guards  were 
massacred  almost  to  a  man  in  the  courts  of  the  Tuille- 
ries.  Bonaparte  was  disgusted  at  the  terrible  spectacle. 
The  yells,  screams,  and  pikes  with  bloody  heads  upon 
them,  formed  a  scene  which  he  afterward  described  as 
"  hideous  and  revolting."  As  yet  he  had  been  but  a 
spectator  of  the  revolution,  destined  to  pave  his  own 
path  to  sovereign  power  ;  ere  long  circumstances  called 
on  him  to  play  a  part. 

General  Paoli,  who  had  lived  in  England  since  the 
termination  of  the  Corsican  struggle,  was  cheered,  when 
the  great  French  revolution  first  broke  out,  with  the 
hope  that  liberty  was  about  to  be  restored  to  that 
island.  He  came  to  Paris,  was  received  with  applause 
as  a  tried  friend  of  freedom,  and  appointed  governor 
of  his  native  island,  which  for  some  time  he  ruled 
wisely  and  happily.  But  as  the  revolution  advanced, 
Paoli,  like  most  other  wise  men,  became  satisfied  that 
license  was  more  likely  to  be  established  by  its  leaders, 
than  law  and  rational  libert^ ,  and  avowing  his  aver- 
sion to  the  growing  principles  of  Jacobinism,  and  the 


1793.]  CORSICA.  13 

scenes  of  tumult  and  bloodshed  to  which  they  gave 
rise,  he  was  denounced  in  the  national  assembly  as  the 
enemy  of  France.  An  expedition  was  sent  to  deprive 
him  of  his  government  under  the  command  of  La 
Combe,  Michel,  and  Salicetti,  one  of  the  Corsican 
deputies  to  the  convention  ;  and  Paoli  called  on  his 
countrymen  to  take  arms  in  his  and  their  own  defence. 
Bonaparte  happened  at  that  time  (1793)  to  "have  leave 
of  absence  from  his  regiment,  and  to  be  in  Corsica  on 
a  visit  to  his  mother.  He  had  fitted  up  a  little  reading- 
room  at  the  top  of  the  house,  as  the  quietest  part  of  it, 
and  was  spending  his  mornings  in  study,  and  his  even- 
ings among  his  family  and  old  acquaintance,  when  the 
arrival  of  the  expedition  threw  the  island  into  convul- 
sion. Paoli,  who  knew  him  well,  did  all  he  could  to 
enlist  him  in  his  cause  ;  he  used,  among  other  flatte- 
ries, to  clap  him  on  the  back,  and  tell  him  he  was  "one 
of  Plutarch's  men/'  But  Napoleon  had  satisfied  him- 
self that  Corsica  was  too  small  a  country  to  maintain 
independence, — that  she  must  fall  under  the  rule  either 
of  France  or  England  ;  and  that  her  interests  would 
be  best  served  by  adhering  to  the  former.  He  there- 
fore resisted  all  Paoli's  offers,  and  tendered  his  sword 
to  the  service  of  Salicetti.  He  was  appointed  pro- 
visionally to  the  command  of  a  battalion  of  national 
guards  ;  and  the  first  military  service  on  which  he  was 
employed  was  the  reduction  of  a  small  fortress,  called 
the  Torre  di  Capitello,  near  Ajaccio.  He  took  it,  but 
was  soon  besieged  in  it,  and  he  and  his  garrison,  after 
a  gallant  defence,  and  living  for  some  time  on  horse- 
flesh, were  glad  to  evacuate  the  tower,  and  escape  to 
the  sea.  ~  The  English  government  now  began  to  rein 
force  Paoli,  and  the  cause  of  the  French  party  seemed 
for  the  moment  to  be  desperate.  The  Bonapartes 
were  banished  from  Corsica,  and  their  mother  and 
sisters  took  refuge  first  at  Nice,  and  afterward  at  Mar- 
seilles, where  for  some  time  they  suffered  all  the  incon- 
veniences of  exile  and  poverty.  Napoleon  rejoined 
his  regiment.  He  had  chosen  France  for  his  country  • 
and  seems,  in  truth,  to  have  preserved  little  or  no  af- 
fection for  his  native  soil. 


14  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1793. 

This  first  military  service  of  Napoleon  was  soon 
followed  by  other  steps  in  his  onward  career.  A  few 
months  previously  to  this,  on  the  21st  of  January, 
1793,  the  king  of  France  had  been  put  to  death  . — 
and  in  less  than  a  month  afterward,  the  convention 
had  declared  war  against  England.  The  murder  of 
the  king  had  in  fact  united  the  princes  of  Europe 
against  th'e  revolutionary  cause  ;  and  within  France 
itself  a  strong  reaction  took  place.  The  people  of 
Toulon,  the  great  port  and  arsenal  of  France,  on  the 
Mediterranean,  partook  these  sentiments,  and  invited 
the  English  and  Spanish  fleets  off  their  coast,  to  come 
to  their  assistance,  and  garrison  their  city.  The  al- 
lied admirals  took  possession  accordingly  of  Toulon, 
and  a  motley  force  of  English,  Spanish,  and  Neapol- 
itans prepared  to  defend  the  place.  In  the  harbor  and 
roads  there  were  about  twenty-five  ships  of  the  line, 
and  the  city  contained  immense  naval  and  military 
stores  of  every  description,  so  that  the  defection  jf 
Toulon  was  regarded  as  a  calamity  of  the  first 
by  the  revolutionary  government. 

This  event  occurred  in  the  midst  of  the  reigr  of 
terror.  The  streets  of  Paris  were  streaming  with  in- 
nocent blood ;  Robespierre  was  glutting  himself  v  ith 
murder ;  fear  and  rage  were  the  passions  that  divided 
mankind-,  and  their  struggles  produced  on  either  side 
the  likeness  of  some  epidemic  phrensy.  Whatever  else 
the  government  wanted,  vigor  to  repel  aggression  from 
without  was  displayed  in  abundance.  Two  armies  irn- 
mediately  marched  upon  Toulon  ;  and  after  a  series 
of  actions,  in  which  the  passes  in  the  hills  behind  the 
town  were  forced,  the  place  was  at  last  invested,"  and  a 
memorable  siege  commenced. 

It  was  conducted  with  little  skill,  first  by  Cartau.v,  a 
vain  coxcomb,  who  had  been   a  painter,  and  then  by 
Doppet,  an  ex-physician  and  a  coward.     To  watch  and 
report  on  the  proceedings  of  these  chiefs,  their 
present  in  the  camp  several  representatives  of  th 
pie,  as  they  were  called — persons  holding  no  m, 
character  or  rank,  but  acting  as  honorable  spies  f«:r  the 
government  at  Paris.     The  interference  of  lhe:- 


1793.]  SIEGE    OF    TOULON.  15 

sonages  on  this,  as  on  many  other  occasions,  was  pro- 
ductive of  delays,  blunders,  and  misfortunes  ;  but  the 
terror  which  their  ready  access  to  the  despotic  gov- 
ernment inspired  was  often,  on  the  other  hand,  useful 
in  stimulating  the  exertions  of  the  military.  The 
younger  Robespierre  was  one  of  the  deputies  at  Tou- 
lon, and  his  name  was  enough  to  make  his  presence 
formidable. 

Cartaux  had  not  yet  been  superseded,  when  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte  made  his  appearance  at  head -quarters, 
with  a  commission  to  assume  the  command  of  the  ar- 
tillery. It  has  been  said  that  he  owed  his  appointment 
to  the  private  regard  of  Salicetti ;  but  the  high  testi- 
monials he  had  received  from  the  Military  Academy 
were  more  likely  to  have  served  him  ;  nor  is  it  possible 
to  suppose  that  he  had  been  so  long  in  the  regiment 
of  La  Fere  without  being  appreciated  by  some  of  his 
superiors.  However  this  may  have  been,  he  was  re- 
ceived almost  with  insolence  by  Cartaux,  who,  strutting 
about  in  a  uniform  covered  with  gold  lace,  told  him 
his  assistance  was  not  wanted,  but  he  was  welcome  to 
partake  in  his  glory. 

On  examining  the  state  of  affairs,  Bonaparte  found 
much  to  complain  of.  They  were  still  disputing  which 
extremity  of  the  town  should  be  the  chief  object  of 
attack  ;  though  at  the  one  there  were  two  strong  and 
regular  fortifications,  and  at  the  other  only  a  small  and 
imperfect  fort,  called  Malbosquet.  On  inspecting  their 
batteries,  he  found  that  the  guns  were  placed  about 
two  gun-shots  from^he  walls  ;  and  that  it  was  the  cus- 
tom to  heat  the  shot  at  a  distance  from  the  place  where 
they  were  to  be  discharged ;  in  other  words,  to  heat 
them  to  no  purpose.  Choosing  officers  of  his  own  ac- 
quaintance to  act  under  him,  and  exerting  himself  to 
collect  guns  from  all  quarters,  he  soon  remedied  al\ 
these  disorders,  and  found  himself  master  of  an  effi- 
cient train  of  200  pieces  ;  and  he  then  urged  the  gen- 
eral to  adopt  a  wholly  new  plan  of  operations  in  the 
future  conduct  of  the  siege. 

The  plan  of  Bonaparte  appears  now  the  simplest  anc 
most  obvious  that  could  have  been  suggested ;  yet  it 


16  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1793 

was  not  without  great  difficulty  that  he  could  obtain 
the  approbation  of  the  doctor,  who  had  by  this  time 
superseded  the  painter.  "  Your  object,"  said  he,  "  is 
to  make  the  English  evacuate  Toulon.  Instead  of  at- 
tacking them  in  the  town,  which  must  involve  a  long 
series  of  operations,  endeavor  to  establish  batteries  so 
as  to  sweep  the  harbor  and  roadstead.  If  you  can  do 
(his,  the  English  ships  must  take  their  departure,  and 
the  English  troops  will  certainly  not  remain  behind 
them."  He  pointed  out  a  promontory  nearly  opposite 
the  town,  by  getting  the  command  of  which  he  was 
sure  the  desired  effect  must  be  accomplished.  "  Gain 
La  Grasse"  said  he,  " and  in  two  days  Toulon  must 
fall."  His  reasoning  at  length  forced  conviction,  and 
he  was  permitted  to  follow  his  own  plan. 

A  month  before  nothing  could  have  been  more  easy  : 
but  within  that  time  the  enemy  had  perceived  the  im- 
portance of  the  promontory,  and  fortified  it  so  strongly, 
that  it  passed  by  the  name  of  the  Little  Gibraltar.  It 
was  necessary,  therefore,  to  form  extensive  batteries 
behind  La  Grasse,  ere  there  could  be  a  prospect  of 
seizing  it.  Bonaparte  labored  hard  all  day,  and  slept 
every  night  in  his  cloak  by  the  guns,  until  his  works 
approached  perfection.  He  also  formed  a  large  bat- 
tery behind  Malbosquet ;  but  this  he  carefully  con- 
cealed from  the  enemy.  It  was  covered  by  a  planta- 
tion of  olives  ;  and  he  designed  to  distract  their 
attention  by  opening  its  fire  for  the  first  time  when  he 
should  be  about  to  make  his  great  efibrt  against  Little 
Gibraltar.  But  the  representative!;  of  the  people  had 
nearly  spoiled  everything.  These  gentlemen,  walking 
their  rounds,  discovered  the  battery  behind  the  olives, 
and  inquiring  how  long  it  had  been  ready,  were  told 
for  eight  days.  Not  guessing  with  what  view  so  many 
guns  had  been  kept  so  long  idle,  they  ordered  an  im- 
mediate cannonade.  The  English  made  a  vigorous 
sally,  and  spiked  the  guns  before  Bonaparte  could  reach 
the  spot.  On  his  arrival  on  the  eminence  behind,  he 
perceived  a  long,  deep  ditch,  fringed  with  brambles  and 
willows,  which  he  thought  might  be  turned  to  advan- 
tage. He  caused  a  regiment  of  foot  to  creep  along 


1793.J  SIEGE    OF    TOULON.  17 

the  ditch,  which  they  did  without  being  discovered, 
until  they  were  close  upon  the  enemy.  General 
O'Hara,  the  English  commander,  mistook  them  when 
they  appeared,  for  some  of  his  own  allies,  and  rushing 
out  to  give  them  some  orders,  was  wounded  and  made 
prisoner.  The  English  were  dispirited  when  they  lost 
their  general ;  they  retreated ;  and  the  French  were 
at  liberty  to  set  about  the  repair  of  their  battery.  In 
this  affair  much  blood  was  shed.  Napoleon  himself 
received  a  bayonet-thrust  in  his  thigh,  and  fell  into  the 
arms  of  Muiron,  who  carried  him  off  the  field.  Such 
was  the  commencement  of  their  brotherly  friendship. 

His  wound,  however,  did  not  prevent  him  from  con- 
tinuing his  labors  behind  Little  Gibraltar. 

That  fort  had  very  nearly  been  seized,  by,  a  sort  of 
accident,  some  time  before  his  preparations  were  com- 
pleted ;  a  casual  insult  excited  a  sudden  quarrel  be- 
tween the  men  in  Bonaparte's  trenches,  and  the  Span- 
iards in  Little  Gibraltar.  The  French  soldiers,  without 
waiting  for  orders,  seized  their  arms  and  rushed  to  the 
assault  with  fury.  Napoleon,  coming  up,  perceived 
that  the  moment  was  favorable,  and  persuaded  Doppet 
to  support  the  troops  with  more  regiments  ;  but  the 
doctor,  marching  at  the  head  of  his  column,  was  seized 
with  a  panic,  on  seeing  a  man  killed  by  his  side,  and 
ordered  a  retreat,  before  anything  could  be  effected. 

A  few  days  after,  this  poltroon  was  in  his  turn  super- 
seded by  a  brave  veteran,  General  Dugommier,  and 
Napoleon  could  at  last  count  on  having  his  efforts 
backed.  As  soon  as  the  moment  favorable  to  his  pur- 
pose came,  he  determined  to  make  his  grand  attempt. 
He  threw  8,000  bombs  and  shells  into  Little  Gibraltar, 
and  having  thus  shattered  the  works,  at  daybreak* 
Dugommier  commanded  the  assault.  The  French, 
headed  by  the  brave  Muiron,  rushed  with  impetuous 
valor  through  the  embrasures,  and  put  the  whole  gar- 
rison to  the  sword.  The  day  was  spent  in  arranging 
the  batteries,  so  as  to  command  the  shipping ;  and  next 
morning — so  true  had  been  Bonaparte's  prophecy — 

*  Dec.  18th,  1793. 


18  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1793. 

jfi 

when  the  French  stood  to  their  posts,  the  English  fleet 
was  discovered  to  be  already  under  way. 

Then  followed  a  fearful  scene.  The  English  would 
not  quit  Toulon  without  destroying  the  French  ships 
and  arsenals  that  had  fallen  into  their  possession  ;  nor 
could  they  refuse  to  carry  with  them  the  Antijacobin 
inhabitants,  who  knew  that  their  lives  would  be  in- 
stantly sacrificed  if  they  should  fall  into,  the  hands  of 
the  victorious  republicans,  and  who  now  flocked  to  the 
waterside  to  the  number  of  14,000,  praying  for  the 
means  of  escape.  The  burning  of  ships,  the  explosion 
of  magazines,  the  roar  of  artillery,  and  the  cries  of 
these  fugitives  filled  up  many  hours.  At  last  the  men- 
of-war  were  followed  by  a  flotilla  bearing  those  miser- 
able exiles  ;  the  walls  were  abandoned  ;  and  Dugom- 
mier  took  possession  of  the  place. 

The  republicans  found  that  all  persons  of  condition, 
who  had  taken  part  against  them,  had  escaped  ;  and 
their  rage  was  to  be  contented  with  meaner  victims. 
A  day  or  two  having  been  suffered  to  pass  in  quiet,  a 
proclamation,  apparently  friendly,  exhorted  the  work- 
men who  had  been  employed  on  the  batteries  of  the 
besieged  town  to  muster  at  head-quarters.  One  hun- 
dred and  fifty  poor  men,  who  expected  to  be  employed 
again  in  repairing  the  same  fortifications,  obeyed  this 
summons — were  instantly  marched  into  a'  field — and 
shot  in  cold  blood  ;  not  less  than  a  thousand  persons 
were  massacred  under  circumstances  equally  atro- 
cious. Bonaparte  himself  repelled  with  indignation 
me  charge  of  having  had  a  hand  in  this  butchery. 
Even  if  he  had,  he  was  not  the  chief  in  command,  and 
durst  not  have  disobeyed  orders  but  at  the  sacrifice  of 
his  own  life.  It  is  on  all  hands  admitted  that  a  family 
of  royalists,  being  shipwrecked  on  the  coast  near  Tou- 
lon a  few  days  after,  were  rescued  from  the  hands  of 
the  ferocious  republicans,  solely  by  his  interference  and 
address.  Putting  himself  at  the  head  of  some  of  his 
gunners,  he  obtained  possession  of  the  unhappy  prison- 
ers ;  quieted  the  mob  by  assuring  them  that  they  should 
all  be  publicly  executed  the  next  morning ;  and  mean- 


1794.]  FALL    OF    TOULON NICE.  19 

while,  sent  them  off  during  the  night  in  artillery  wag- 
ons supposed  to  be  conveying  stores. 

The  recovery  of  Toulon  was  a  service  of  the  first 
importance  to  the  French  government.  It  suppressed 
all  insurrectionary  spirit  in  the  south  of  France  ;  and 
placed  a  whole  army  at  their  disposal  elsewhere.  But 
he  to  whose  genius  the  success  was  due,  did  not  at 
first  obtain  the  credit  of  his  important  achievement  at 
'Paris.  The  representatives  of  the  people  endeavored 
to  conceal  the  nature  of  his  services,  but  the  truth 
coi'.i'l  ribt  be  effectually  hid ;  and  Napoleon  was  re- 
warded by  being  appointed  to  survey  and  arrange  the 
whole  line  of  fortifications  on  the  Mediterranean  coast 
of  France. 

It  was  during  the  siege  of  Toulon  that  Napoleon, 
while  constructing  a  battery  under  the  enemy's  fire, 
had  occasion  to  prepare  a  despatch,  and  called  out  for 
some  one  who  could  use  a  pen.  A  young  sergeant, 
named  Junot,  leaped  out,  and,  leaning  on  the  breast- 
work, wrote  as  he  dictated.  As  he  finished,  a  shot 
struck  the  ground  by  his  side,  and  scattered  dust  in 
abundance  over  him  and  everything  near  him.  "  Good," 
said  the  soldier,  laughing,  "  this  time  we  shall  do  with- 
out sand.'"'  The  cool  gayety  of  this  pleased  Bonaparte  ; 
he  kept  his  eye  on  the  man ;  and  Junot  came  in  the 
sequel  to  be  marshal  of  France  and  duke  of  Abrantes. 

Bonaparte  now  began  to  advance  by  rapid  strides  to 
greatness.  He  soon  completed  his  survey  of  the  forti- 
fications, and  the  admirable  skill  displayed  in  these, 
joined  to  his  conduct  at  Toulon,  gained  for  him  the 
appointment  to  join  the  army  of  Italy,  then  stationed 
at  Nice,  with  the  rank  of  chief  of  Battalion.  Here 
his  advice  suggested  a  plan  by  which  the  French 
obtained  possession  of  the  maritime  Alps,  so  that  the 
difficulties  of  advancing  into  Italy  were  greatly  dimin- 
ished. Of  these  movements  however  his  superior  offi- 
cers reaped  as  yet  the  honor.  He  was  even  super- 
seded very  shortly  after  their  success.  But  this,  which 
at  the  moment  seemed  a  heavy  misfortune,  was,  in  truth, 
oji3  of  the  luckiest  circumstances  that  ever  befell  him. 

On  the  28th  July,  1794,  he  was  put  under  arrest  in 


20  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1795 

consequence  of  the  downfall  of  Robespierre,  being 
supposed  to  belong  to  the  party  which  that  monster 
had  made  the  instrument  of  his  crimes,  and  known  to 
have  lived  on  terms  of  friendship  with  his  younger 
brother,  "  the  representative  of  the  people."  He  in 
vain  disclaimed  all  participation  in  the  ambitious  de- 
signs of  the  Robespierres,  and  asserted  that  he  would 
have  poinarded  his  own  brother,  had  he  suspected  him 
of  forming  schemes  of  tyranny.  He  was,  indeed,  after 
a  few  days,  released  from  confinement;  and  the  officer 
who  came  to  release  him  was  surprised  to  find  torn  busy 
in  his  dungeon  over  the  map  of  Lombardy.  For  the 
moment,  however,  the  prejudice  was  too  strong  to  be 
entirely  overcome  ;  and  he  seems  to  have  spent  some 
time  in  obscurity  with  his  own  family,  who  were  then 
in  very  distressed  circumstances,  at  Marseilles.  It  was 
here  that  he  fell  in  love  with  Mademoiselle  Clery,  whom, 
but  for  some  accident,  it  appears  he  would  have  mar- 
ried. Her  sister  afterward  married  his  brother  Joseph, 
and  she  herself  became  the  wife  of  his  friend  Berna- 
dotte,  and  queen  of  Sweden.  It  is  supposed  that  Bo- 
naparte found  himself  too  poor  to  marry  at  this  time; 
and  circumstances  interfered  to  prevent  any  renewal 
of  his  proposals. 

In  May,  1795,  he  came  to  Paris  to  solicit  employ- 
ment ;  but  at  first  he  met  with  nothing  but  repulses. 
The  president  of  the  Military  Committee,  Aubry;  ob 
jected  to  his  youth.  "  Presence  in  the  field  of  battle," 
said  Bonaparte,  "  might  be  reckoned  in  place  of  years." 
The  president,  who  had  not  seen  much  actual  service, 
thought  he  was  insulted,  and  treated  him  so  coldly  that 
he  actually  tendered  the  resignation  of  his  commission. 
This,  however,  was  not  accepted,  and  he  lingered  on 
amid  the  crowd  of  expectants. 

At  length,  despairing  of  employment  at  home,  he 
meditated  taking  service  with  some  foreign  power,  and 
even  used  some  interest  to  gain  permission  to  go  to 
Turkey.  "  How  strange,"  he  said  to  his  friends,  "  would 
it  be  if  a  little  Corsican  soldier  should  become  king  of 
Jerusalem !"  Go  where  he  might,  he  already  contem 
plated  greatness. 


1795.]  THE    NATIONAL    CONVENTION.  21 

Ere  this  scheme  could  be  put  in  execution,  he  was 
nominated  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  of  artillery  in 
Holland.  The  long-deferred  appointment  was,  no 
doubt,  very  welcome ;  but  in  the  mean  time,  his  ser- 
vices were  called  for  on  a  nearer  and  more  important 
field. 

The  French  nation  were  now  heartily  tired  of  the 
national  convention  :  it  had  lost  most  of  its  distin- 
guished members  in  the  tumults  and  persecutions  of 
the  times  ;  and  above  all,  it  had  lost  respect  by  re- 
maining for  two  years  the  slave  and  the  tool  of  the  ter- 
rorists. The  downfall  of  Robespierre,  when  it  did 
take  .place,  showed  how  easily  the  same  blessed  de- 
liverance might  have  been  effected  long  before,  had 
this  body  possessed  any  sense  of  firmness  or  of  dig- 
nity. 

A  great  part  of  the  nation,  there  is  no  doubt,  were 
at  this  time  anxious  to  see  the  royal  family  restored, 
and  the  government  settled  on  the  model  of  1791. 
Among  the  more  respectable  citizens  of  Paris,  in  par- 
ticular, such  feelings  were  very  prevalent.  But  many 
causes  conspired  to  surround  the  adoption  of  this 
measure  with  difficulties,  which  none  of  the  actually 
influential  leaders  had  the  courage,  or  perhaps  the 
means,  to  encounter.  The  soldiers  of  the  republican 
armies  had  been  accustomed  to  fight  against  the  exiled 
princes  and  nobility,  considered  them  as  the  worst  en- 
emies of  France,  and  hated  them  personally.  The  es- 
tates of  the  church,  the  nobles,  and  the  crown  had  been 
divided  arid  sold,  and  the  purchasers  foresaw  that,  were 
the  monarchy  restored  at  this  period,  the  resumption 
of  the  forfeited  property  would  be  pressed  with  all  the 
powers  of  government.  And,  lastly,  the  men  who  had 
earned  for  themselves  most  distinction  and  influence  in 
public  affairs,  had  excellent  reasons  for  believing  that 
the  Bourbons  and  nobility,  if  restored,  would  visit  on 
their  own  heads  the  atrocities  of  the  revolution,  and 
above  all  the  murder  of  the"  king. 

The  conventionalists  themselves  were  desirous  of 
proposing  some  system  which  might,  in  a  certain  de- 
gree, satisfy  those  who  desire.  1  .he  restoration  of  the 


22  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [l"/95. 

monarchy ;  and  accordingly  the  new  constitution  of 
the  year  three  of  the  republic  (1795)  presented  the  fol- 
lowing features.  I.  The  executive  power  was  to  be 
lodged  in  five  directors,  chosen  from  time  to  time,  who 
were  to  have  no  share  in  the  legislation.  II.  There 
was  to  be  a  council  of  five  hundred,  answering  gen- 
erally to  our  house  of  commons :  and  III.  A  smaller 
assembly,  called  the  council  of  ancients,  intended  to 
fulfil  in  some  measure  the  purpose  of  a  house  of  peers. 

This  scheme  might  probably  have  been  approved 
of;  but  the  leading  members  of  the  convention,  from 
views  personal  to  themselves,  appended  to  it  certain 
conditions  which  excited  new  disgust.  They  decreed, 
first,  that  the  electoral  bodies  of  France,  in  choosing 
representatives  to  the  two  new  councils,  must  elect  a- 
least  two  thirds  of  the  present  members  of  convention  . 
and,  secondly,  that  if  full  two  thirds  were  not  returned, 
the  convention  should  have  the  right  to  supply  the  de- 
ficiency out  of  their  own  body.  It  was  obvious  tha 
this  machinery  had  no  object  but  the  continuance  of 
the  present  legislators  in  power ;  and  the  nation,  and 
especially  the  superior  classes  in  the  city  of  Paris,  weiv 
indignant  at  conduct  which  they  considered  as  alike 
selfish  and  arbitrary.  *  The  royalist  party  gladly  len: 
themselves  to  the  diffusion  of  any  discontents  ;  and  a 
formidable  opposition  to  the  measures  of  the  existing 
government  was  organized. 

The  convention  meantime  continued  their  sittings, 
and,  exerting  all  their  skill  and  influence,  procured  from 
many  districts  of  the  country  reports  accepting  o-'   the 
new  constitution,  with  all  its  conditions.    The  Pur. 
being  nearer  and  sharper  observers,  and  having  abun- 
dance of  speakers  and  writers  to  inform  and  a 
them,  assembled  in  the  several  sections  of  the  city,  and 
proclaimed  their  hostility  to  the  convention  and  ics  de- 
signs.    The  national  guard,  consisting  of  armed  cit 
izens,  almost  unanimously  sided  with  the  enemies  of 
the  convention  ;  and  it  was  openly  proposed  to  ivusreh 
to  the  Tuileries,  and  compel  a  change  of  measurer  In 
force  of  arms. 

The  convention,  perceiving  their  unpopularity  and 


1795.]  INSURRECTION     AT     PARIS.  23 

danger,  began  to  look  about  them  anxiously  for  the 
means  of  defence.  There  were  in  and  near  Paris 
5,000  regular  troops,  on  whom  they  thought  they  might 
rely,  and  who  of  course  contemned  the  national  guard 
as  only  half  soldiers.  They  had  besides  some  hun- 
dreds of  artillery-men ;  and  they  now  organized  what 
they  called  "  the  Sacred  Band,"  a  body  of  1,500  ruf- 
fians, the  most  part  of  them  old  and  tried  instruments 
of  Robespierre.  With  these  means  they  prepared  to 
arrange  a  plan  of  defence,  and  it  \vas  obvious  that  they 
did  not  want  materials,  provided  they  could  find  a 
skilful  and  determined  head. 

The  insurgent  sections  placed  themselves  under  the 
command  of  Danican,  an  old  general  of  no  great  skill 
or  reputation.  The  convention  opposed  to  him  Menou ; 
and  he  marched  at  the  head  of  a  column  into  the  sec- 
tion Le  Pelletier  to  disarm  the  national  guard  of  that 
district — one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  capital.  The 
national  guard  were  found  drawn  up  in  readiness  to 
receive  him  at  the  end  of  the  Rue  Vivienne  ;  and 
Menou,  becoming  alarmed,  and  hampered  by  the  pres- 
ence of  some  of  the  "representatives  of  the  people," 
entered  into  a  parley,  and  retired  without  having  struck 
a  blow. 

The  convention  judged  that  Menou  was  not  master 
of  nerves  for  such  a  crisis  ;  and  consulted  eagerly  about 
a  successor  to  his  command.  Barras,  of  their  number, 
had  happened  to  be  present  at  Toulon,  and  to  have 
appreciated  the  character  of  Bonaparte.  He  had,  prob- 
ably, been  applied  to  by  Napoleon  in  his  recent  pursuit 
of  employment.  Deliberating  with  Tallien  and  Carnot, 
his  colleagues;  he  suddenly  said,  "  I  have  the  man  whom 
you  want ;  it  is  a  little  Corsican  officer,  who  will  not 
stand  upon  ceremony/'* 

These  words  decided  the  fate  of  Napoleon  and  of 
France.  Bonaparte  having  been  in  the  Odeon  theatre 
when  the  affair  of  Menou  occurred,  had  run  out,  and 
witnessed  the  result.  He  now  happened  to  be  in  the 
gallery,  and  heard  the  discussion  in  which  he  was  so 
much  interested.  He  was  presently  sent  for,  and 

*  Some  accounts  attribute  these  words,  not  to  "Barms,  but  to  Carnot. 


24  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1795. 

asked  his  opinion  as  to  the  retreat  of  Menou.  He  ex- 
plained what  had  happened,  and  how  it  might  have 
been  avoided,  in  a  manner  which  gave  satisfaction. 
He  was  desired  to  assume  the  command,  and  arrange 
his  plan  of  defence  as  well  as  the  circumstances  might 
permit ;  for  it  was  already  late  at  night,  and  the  de- 
cisive assault  on  the  Tuileries  was  expected  to  take 
place  next  morning.  Bonaparte  stated  that  the  failure 
of  the  march  of  Menou  had  been  chiefly  owing  to  the 
presence  of  the  "  representatives  of  the  people,"  and 
refused  to  accept  the  command  unless  he  received  it 
free  from  all  such  interference.  They  yielded  :  Bar- 
ras  was  named  commander-in-chief ;  and  Bonaparte 
second,  with  the  virtual  control.  His  first  care  was  to 
despatch  Murat,  then  a  major  of  chasseurs,  to  Sablons, 
five  miles  off,  where  fifty  great  guns  were  posted.  The 
sectionaries  sent  a  stronger  detachment  for  these  can- 
non immediately  afterward ;  and  Murat,  who  passed 
them  in  the  dark,  would  have  gone  in  vain  had  he  re- 
ceived his  orders  but  a  few  minutes  later. 

On  the  4th  of  October  (called  in  the  revolutionary 
almanac  the  13th  Vendemaire)  the  affray  accordingly 
occurred.  Thirty  thousand  national  guards  advanced 
about  two,  P.M.,  by  different  streets,  to  the  siege  of  the 
palace  ;  but  its  defence  was  now  in  far  other  hands 
than  those  of  Louis  XVI. 

Bonaparte,  having  planted  artillery  on  all  the  bridges, 
and  posted  his  battalions  in  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries 
and  Place  du  Carousel,  awaited  the  attack. 

The  insurgents  had  no  cannon ;  and  they  came  along 
the  narrow  streets  of  Paris  in  close  and  heavy  columns. 
When  one  party  reached  the  church  of  St.  Roche,  in 
the  Rue  St.  Honore,  they  found  a  body  of  Bonaparte's 
troops  drawn  up  there,  with  two  cannons.  It  is  dis- 
puted on  which  side  the  firing  began  ;  but  in  an  in- 
stant the  artillery  swept  the  streets  and  lanes,  scatter- 
ing grape-shot  among  the  national  guards,  and  producing 
such  confusion  that  they  were  compelled  to  give  way. 
The  first  shot  was  a  signal  for  all  the  batteries  which 
Bonaparte  had  established  :  the  quays  of  the  Seine,  op- 
posite to  the  Tuileries,  were  commanded  by  his  guns  be- 


1795.J        THE  DAY  OF  THE  SECTIONS.  25 

low  the.  palace  and  on  the  bridges.  In  less  than  an  hour 
•the  action  was  over.  The  insurgents  fled  in  all  di- 
rections, leaving  the  streets  covered  with  dead  and 
wounded :  the  troops  of  the  convention  marched  into 
the  various  sections,  disarmed  the  terrified  inhabitants, 
and  before  nightfall  everything  was  quiet. 

This  eminent  service  secured  the  triumph  of  the 
conventionalists,  who  now,  assuming  new  names,  con- 
tinued in  effect  to  discharge  their  old  functions.  Bar- 
ras  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  directory,  having 
Sieyes,  Carnot,  and  other  less  celebrated  persons  for 
his  colleagues ;  and  the  first  director  took  care  to  re- 
ward the  hand  to  which  he  owed  his  elevation.  Within 
five  days  from  the  day  of  the  Secttcns,  Bonaparte  was 
named  second  in  command  of  the  army  of  the  interior ; 
and  shortly  afterward,  Barras,  finding  his  duties  as  di- 
rector sufficient  to  occupy  his  time,  gave  up  the  com- 
mand-in-chief  of  the  same  army  to  his  "  little  Corsican 
officer." 

This  invested  Bonaparte  with  the  chief  military  com- 
mand in  the  capita].,  and,  daily  rising  in  importance 
from  the  zeal  and  firmness  of  his  conduct  in  this  high 
post,  he  had  now  passed  into  the  order  of  marked  and 
distinguished  men.  He  continued,  nevertheless,  to  lead 
in  private  a  quiet  and  modest  life,  studying  as  hard  as 
ever,  and  but  little  seen  in  the  circles  of  gayety.  An 
accident,  which  occurred  one  morning  at  his  military 
levee,  gave  at  once  a  new  turn  to  his  mode  of  life,  and 
a  fresh  impetus  to  the  advance  of  his  fortunes. 

A  fine  boy,  of  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  presented 
himself;  stated  to  the  general  that  his  name  was  Eu- 
gene Beauharnois,  son  of  viscount  Beauharnois,  who 
fiad  served  as  a  general  officer  in  the  republican  armies 
on  the  Rhine,  and  been  murdered  by  Robespierre ;  and 
sfcJc*  bis  errand  was  to  recover  the  sword  of  his  father. 
Bonaparte  caused  the  request  to  be  complied  with; 
and  the  tears  of  the  boy,  as  he  received  and  kissed  the 
relic,  excited  his  interest.  He  treated  Eugene  so 
kindly,  that  next  day  his  mother,  Josephine  de  Beau- 
harnois, came  to  thank  him  ;  and  her  beauty  and  singu- 
lar gracefulness  of  address  made  a  strong  impression. 


20  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.         [1796. 

This  charming  lady  was  the  daughter  of  a  planter, 
by  name  De  La  Pagerie,  and  a  native  of  St.  Domingo/ 
While  she  was  an  infant,  according  to  herself,  a  negro 
sorceress   prophesied   that  "  she   should   one   day   be 
greater  than  a  queen,  and  yet  outlive  her  dignity." 

Josephine,  after  her  husband's  death,  had  been  her- 
self imprisoned  until  the  downfall  of  Robespierre.  In 
that  confinement  she  had  formed  a  strict  friendship 
with  another  lady,  who  had  now  married  Tallien,  one 
of  the  most  eminent  of  the  leaders  of  the  convention. 
Madame  Tallien  had  introduced  Josephine  to  her  h* 
band's  friends ;  and  Barras,  the  first  director,  havin^ 
now  begun  to  hold  a  sort  of  court  at  the  Louxem- 
bourg,  these  two  beautiful  women  were  the  chief  orna- 
ments of  its  society.  It  was  commonly  said  that  Jose- 
phine possessed  more  than  legitimate  influence  over 
the  first  director.  Bonaparte  offered  her  his  hand  ;  she 
accepted  it ;  and  the  young  general  by  this  means 
cemented  his  connection  with  the  society  of  the  Loux- 
embourg,  and  particularly  with  Barras  and  Tallien,  at 
that  moment  the  most  powerful  men  in  France. 

Tranquillity  was  now  restored  in  Paris  ;  and  the  di- 
rectory had  leisure  to  turn  their  attention  to  the  affairs 
of  the  army  of  Italy,  which  seemed  to  be  in  a  con- 
fused and  unsatisfactory  condition.  They  determined 
to  give  it  a  new  general ;  and  Bonaparte  was  appointed 
to  the  splendid  command.  "  Advance  this  man/'  said 
Barras  to  tne  other  directors,  "  or  he  will  advance  him- 
self without  you."  He  quitted  his  young  wife  just 
three  days  after  their  marriage  ;*  paid  a  short  visit  to 
his  mother  at  Marseilles  ;  and  arrived,  after  a  rapid 
journey,  at  the  head-quarters  at  Nice.  From  that  mo- 
ment  opened  the  most  brilliant  scene  of  his  existence  ; 
yet,  during  the  months  of  victory  and  glory  that  com- 
posed it,  his  letters,  full  of  love  and  home-sickness,  at- 
test the  reluctance  with  which  he  had  so  soon  aban- 
doned his  bride. 

Bonaparte  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  assumed  tne  com- 
mand of  the  army  of  Italy  ;  exulting  in  the  knowledge, 
that  if  he  should  conquer,  the  honor  would  be  all  his 

*  l)'h  March,  1796. 


1796.]  NEW    TACTICS.  27 

own.  Henceforth  he  was  to  have  no  rivals  within  the 
camp.  "  In  three  months,"  said  he,  "  I  shall  be  either 
at  Milan  or  at  Paris."  He  had  already  expressed  the 
same  feeling  in  a  still  nobler  form.  "  You  are  too 
young,"  said  one  of  the  directors,  hesitating  about  his 
appointment  as  general.  "  In  a  year,"  answered  Na- 
poleon, "  I  shall  be  either  old  or  dead." 

He  found  the  army  in  numbers  about  50,000 ;  but 
wretchedly  deficient  in  cavalry,  in  stores  of  every  kind, 
in  clothing,  and  even  in  food ;  and  watched  by  an  enemy 
vastly  more  numerous.  It  was  under  such  circum- 
stances that  he  at  once  avowed  the  daring  scheme  of 
forcing  a  passage  to  Italy,  and  converting  the  richest 
territory  of  the  enemy  himself  into  the  theatre  of  war. 
"  Soldiers,"  said  he,  "  you  are  hungry  and  naked ;  the 
republic  owes  you  much,  but  she  has  not  the  means  to 
pay  her  debts.  I  am  come  to  lead  you  into  the  most 
fertile  plains  that  the  sun  beholds.  Rich  provinces, 
opulent  towns,  all  shall  be  at  your  disposal.  Soldiers ! 
with  such  a  prospect  before  you,  can  you  fail  in  cour- 
age and  constancy  ?"  This  was  Napoleon's  first  ad- 
dress to  his  army.  The  sinking  hearts  of  the  soldiers 
beat  high  with  hope  and  confidence  when  they  heard 
the  voice  of  the  young  and  fearless  leader ;  and  Au- 
gereau,  Massena,  Serrurier,  Joubert,  Lannes — distin- 
guished officers,  who  might  themselves  have  aspired 
to  the  chief  command — felt,  from  the  moment  they 
began  to  understand  his  character  and  system,  that  the 
true  road  to  glory  would  be  to  follow  the  star  of  Na- 
poleon. 

He  perceived  that  the  time  was  come  for  turning 
a  new  leaf  in  the  history  of  war.  With  such  numbers 
of  troops  as  the  infant  republic  could  afford  him,  he 
saw  that  no  great  advantages  could  be  obtained  against 
the  vast  and  highly -disciplined  armies  of  Austria  and 
her  allies,  unless  the  established  rules  and  etiquettes  of 
war  were  abandoned.  It  was  only  by  such  rapidity  of 
motion  as  should  utterly  transcend  the  suspicion  of  his 
adversaries,  that  he  could  hope  to  concentrate  the 
whole  pith  and  energy  of  a  small  force  upon  some  one 
point  of  a  much  greater  force  opposed  to  it,  and  thus 


28  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796. 

rob  them  (according  to  his  own  favorite  phrase)  of  the 
victory.  To  effect  such  rapid  marches,  it  was  neces- 
sary that  the  soldiery  should  make  up  their  minds  to 
consider  tents  and  baggage  as  idle  luxuries  ;  and  that, 
instead  of  a  long  and  complicated  chain  of  reserves  and 
stores,  they  should  dare  to  rely  wholly  for  the  means  of 
subsistence  on  the  resources  of  the  countries  into  which 
their  leader  might  conduct  them.  They  must  be  con- 
tented to  conquer  at  whatever  hazard ;  to  consider  no 
sacrifices  or  hardships  as  worthy  of  a  thought.  In  this 
way  Bonaparte  hoped  for  success  which  he  knew  he 
could  gain  by  no  other  means. 

The  objects  of  the  approaching  expedition  were 
three :  first,  to  compel  the  king  of  Sardinia,  who  had 
already  lost  Savoy  and  Nice,  but  still  maintained  a 
powerful  army  on  the  frontiers  of  Piedmont,  to  aban- 
don the  alliance  of  Austria :  secondly,  to  compel  Aus- 
tria, by  a  bold  invasion  of  her  rich  Italian  provinces,  to 
make  such  exertions  in  that  quarter  as  might  weaken 
those  armies  which  had  so  long  hovered  on  the  French 
frontier  of  the  Rhine  ;  and,  if  possible,  to  stir  up  the 
Italian  subjects  of  that  crown  to  adopt  the  revolutionary 
system  and  emancipate  themselves  forever  from  its 
yoke.  The  third  object,  though  more  distant,  was  not 
less  important.  The  directory  had  taken  umbrage 
against  the  Roman  Church,  regarding  it  as  the  secret 
support  of  royalism  in  France ;  and  to  reduce  the  Vati- 
can into  insignificance,  or  at  least  force  it  to  submission 
and  quiescence,  appeared  indispensable  to  the  internal 
tranquillity  of  the  French  nation. 

Napoleon's  plan  for  gaining  access  to  the  fair  regions 
of  Italy  differed  from  that  of  all  former  conquerors  : 
they  had  uniformly  penetrated  the  Alps  at  some  point 
or  other  of  that  mighty  range  of  mountains  :  he  judged 
that  the  same  end  might  be  accomplished  more  easily 
by  advancing  along  the  narrow  stripe  of  comparatively 
level  country  which  intervenes  between  those  enor- 
mous barriers  and  the  Mediterranean  sea,  and  forcing 
a  passage  at  the  point  where  the  last  of  the  Alps  melt, 
as  it  were,  into  the  first  and  lowest  of  the  Apennine 
range.  No  sooner  did  he  begin  to  concentrate  his 


1796.]         BATTLE  OP  MONTE  NOTTE.  29 

troops  towards  this  region,  than  the  Austrian  general, 
Beaulieu,  took  measures  for  protecting  Genoa,  and  the 
entrance  of  Italy.  He  himself  took  post  with  one  col- 
umn of  his  army  at  Voltri,  a  town  within  ten  miles  of 
Genoa  :  he  placed  D'Argenteau  with  another  Austrian 
column  at  Monte  Notte,  a  strong  height  further  to  the 
westward ;  and  the  Sardinians,  under  Colli,  occupied 
Ceva — which  thus  formed  the  extreme  right  of  the 
whole  line  of  the  allied  army.  The  French  could  not 
advance  towards  Genoa  but  by  confronting  some  one 
of  the  three  armies  thus  strongly  posted,  and  sufficiently, 
as  Beaulieu  supposed,  in  communication  with  each 
other. 

It  was  now  that  Bonaparte  made  his  first  effort  to 
baffle  the  science  of  those  who  fancied  there  was  noth- 
ing new  to  be  done  in  warfare.  On  the  10th  of  April, 
D'Argenteau  came  down  upon  Monte  Notte,  and  at- 
tacked some  French  redoubts,  in  front  of  that  mountain 
and  the  villages  which  bear  its  name,  at  Montelegino. 
At  the  same  time,  general  Cervoni  and  the  French  van 
were  attacked  by  Beaulieu  near  Voltri,  and  compelled 
to  retreat.  The  determined  valor  of  colonel  Rampon, 
who  commanded  at  Montelegino,  held  D'Argenteau  at 
bay  during  the  10th  and  llth  ;  and  Bonaparte,  content- 
ing himself  with  watching  Beaulieu,  determined  to 
strike  his  effectual  blow  at  the  centre  of  the  enemy's 
line.  During  the  night  of  the  llth,  various  columns 
were  marched  upon  Montelegino,  that  of  Cervoni  and 
that  of  Laharpe  from  the  van  of  the  French  line,  those 
of  Augereau  and  Massena  from  its  rear.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  12th,  D'Argenteau,  preparing  to  renew  his 
attack  on  the  redoubts  of  Montelegino,  found  he  had  no 
longer  Rampon  only  and  his  brave  band  to  deal  with ; 
that  French  columns  were  in  his  rear,  on  his  flank,  and 
drawn  up  also  behind  the  works  at  Montelegino  ;  in  a 
word,  that  he  was  surrounded.  He  was  compelled  to 
retreat  among  the  mountains  :  he  left  his  colors  and 
cannon  behind  him,  1,000  killed  and  2,000  prisoners. 
The  centre  of  the  allied  army  had  been  utterly  routed, 
before  either  the  commander-in-ohief  at  the  left,  or  gen- 


30  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1796. 

eral  Colli  at  the  right  of  the  line,  had  any  notion  that 
a  battle  was  going  on. 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Monte  Notte,  the  first  of  Na- 
poleon's fields.  Beaulieu,  in  order  that  he  might  re- 
establish his  communication  with  Colli,  (much  endan- 
gered by  the  defeat  of  D'Argenteau,)  was  obliged  to 
retreat  upon  Dego  ;  the  Sardinian,  with  the  same  pur- 
pose in  view,  fell  back  also,  and  took  post  at  Millesimo ; 
while  D'Argenteau  was  striving  to  re-organize  his  dis- 
pirited troops  in  the  difficult  country  between.  It  was 
their  object  to  keep  fast  in  these  positions  until  succors 
could  come  up  from  Lombardy ;  but  Napoleon  had  no 
mind  to  give  them  such  respite. 

The  very  next  day  after  this  victory  he  commanded 
a  general  assault  on  the  Austrian  line.  Augereau,  with 
a  Fresh  division,  marched  at  the  left  upon  Millesimo  ; 
Massena  led  the  centre  towards  Dego ;  and  Laharpe, 
with  the  French  right  wing,  manoeuvred  to  turn  the 
.left  flank  of  Beaulieu. 

Augereau  rushed  upon  the  outposts  of  Millesimo, 
seized  and  retained  the  gorge  which  defends  that  place, 
and  cut  ofFProvera  with  two  thousand  Austrians,  who 
occupied  an  eminence  called  Cossaria,  from  the  main 
body  of  Colli's  army.  Next  morning  Bonaparte  him- 
self arrived  at  that  scene  of  the  operations.  He  forced 
Colli  to  accept  battle,  utterly  broke  and  scattered  him, 
and  Provera,  thus  abandoned,  was  obliged  to  yield  at 
discretion. 

Meanwhile,  Massena  on  the  same  day  had  assaulted 
the  heights  of  Biastro,  and  carrying  them  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet,  cut  off  Beaulieu's  communication  with 
Colli ;  then  Laharpe  came  in  front  and  in  flank  also 
upon  the  village  of  Dego,  and  after  a  most  desperate 
conflict,  drove  the  Austrian  commander-in-chief  from 
his  post.  From  this  moment  Colli  and  Beaulieu  were 
entirely  separated.  After  the  affairs  of  Dego  and  Mil- 
lesimo, the  former  retreated  in  disorder  upon  Ceva ; 
the  latter,  hot*y  pursued,  through  a  difficult  country 
upon  Aqui :  Colli,  of  course,  being  anxious  to  cover 
Turin,  while  the  Austrian  had  his  anxious  thoughts 
already  upon  Milan.  Colli  was  again  defeated  at  Mon- 


1796.]  ADDRESS    TO    HIS    TROOPS.  31 

dovi  in  his  disastrous  retreat :  he  there  lost  his  cannor, 
his  baggage,  and  the  best  part  of  his  troops.  The  Sar- 
dinian army  might  be  said  to  be  annihilated.  The  con- 
queror took  possession  of  Cherasco,  within  ten  miles  of 
Turin,  and  there  dictated  the  terms  on  which  the  king 
of  Sardinia  was  to  be  permitted  to  retain  any  shadow 
of  sovereign  power. 

Thus,  in  less  than  a  month,  did  Napoleon  lay  the 
gates  of  Italy  open  before  him.  He  had  defeated  in 
three  battles  forces  much  superior  to  his  own ;  inflicted 
on  them,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  a  loss  of 
25,000  men ;  taken  eighty  guns  and  twenty-one  stand- 
ards ;  reduced  the  Austrians  to  inaction,  utterly  destroy- 
ed the  Sardinian  king's  army;  and,  lastly,  wrested  from 
his  hands  Coni  and  Tortona,  the  two  great  fortresses 
called  "  the  keys  of  the  Alps," — and  indeed,  except 
Turin  itself,  every  place  of  any  consequence  in  his  do- 
minions. 

He  now  paused  for  a  moment  to  consolidate  his  col- 
umns on  the  heights,  from  which  the  vast  plain  of 
Lombardy,  rich  and  cultivated  like  a  garden,  and  water- 
ed with  innumerable  fertilizing  streams,  lay  at  length 
within  the  full  view  of  his  victorious  soldiery.  "  Han- 
nibal forced  the  Alps,"  said  he,  gayly,  as  he  now  look- 
ed back  on  those  stupendous  barriers,  "  and  we  have 
turned  them." 

"  Hitherto,"  (he  thus  addressed  his  troops)  "you  have 
been  fighting  for  barren  rocks,  memorable  for  your 
valor,  but  useless  to  your  country ;  but  now  your  ex- 
ploits equal  those  of  the  armies  of  Holland  and  the 
Rhine.  You  were  utterly  destitute,  and  you  have  sup- 
plied all  your  wants.  You  have  gained  battles  without 
cannon,  passed  rivers  without  bridges,  performed  forced 
marches  without  shoes,  bivouacked  without  strong  li- 
quors, and  often  without  bread.  None  but  republican 
phalanxes,  soldiers  of  liberty,  could  have  endured  such 
things.  Thanks  for  your  perseverance  !  But,  soldiers, 
you  have  done  nothing — for  there  remains  much  to  do. 
Milan  is  not  yet  ours.  The  ashes  of  the  conquerors  of 
Tarquin  are  still  trampled  by  the  assassins  of  Basse- 
ville." 


32  NAPOLEON  RONAPATTE.          [1796. 

The  consummate  genius  of  this  brief  campaign  could 
not  be  disputed  ;  and  the  modest  language  of  the  young 
general's  despatches  to  the  directory,  lent  additional 
grace  to  his  fame.  At  this  time  the  name  of  Bonaparte 
was  spotless ;  and  the  eyes  of  all  Europe  were  fixed  in 
admiration  on  his  career. 

Piedmont  being  now  in  the  hapds  of  Napoleon,  the 
Austrian  general  concentrated  his  army  behind  the  Po, 
with  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  invader  from  pass- 
ing that  great  river,  and  making  his  way  to  the  capital 
of  Lombardy. 

Napoleon  employed  every  device  to  make  Beaulieu 
believe  that  he  designed  to  attempt  the  passage  of  the 
Po  at  Valenza ;  and  the  Austrian,  a  man  of  routine, 
who  had  himself  crossed  the  river  at  that  point,  was 
easily  persuaded  that  these  demonstrations  were  sin- 
cere. Meanwhile,  his  crafty  antagonist  executed  a 
march  of  incredible  celerity  upon  PJacenza,  fifty  miles 
lower  down  the  river ;  and  appeared  there  on  the  7th 
of  May,  to  the  utter  consternation  of  a  couple  of  Aus- 
trian squadrons,  who  happened  to  be  reconnoitring  in 
that  quarter.  He  had  to  convey  his  men  across  that 
great  stream  in  the  common  ferry-boats,  and  could 
never  have  succeeded  had  there  been  anything  like  an 
army  to  oppose  him.  Bonaparte  himself  has  said  that 
no  operation  in  war  is  more  critical  than  the  passage  of 
a  great  river  :  on  this  occasion  the  skill  of  his  arrange- 
ments enabled  him  to  pass  one  of  the  greatest  in  the 
world  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man. 

Beaulieu,  as  soon  as  he  ascertained  how  he  had  been 
outwitted,  advanced  upon  Placenza,  in  the  hope  of 
making  Bonaparte  accept  battle  with  the  Po  in  his  rear, 
and  therefore  under  circumstances  which  must  render 
any  check  in  the  highest  degree  disastrous.  Bona- 
parte, in  the  mean  time,  had  no  intention  to  await 
the  Austrian  on  ground  so  dangerous,  and  was  march- 
ing rapidly  towards  Fombio,  where  he  knew  he  should 
have  room  to  manoeuvre.  The  advanced  divisions  of 
the  hostile  armies  met  at  that  village  on  the  8th  of 
May.  The  Austrians  occupied  the  steeples  and  houses, 
and  hoped  to  hold  out  until  Beaulieu  could  bring  up  his 


1796.]  THE    BRIDGE    OF    LODI.  33 

main  body.  But  the  French  charged  so  impetuously 
with  the  bayonet,*that  the  Austrian,  after  seeing  one 
third  of  his  men  fall,  was  obliged  to  retreat,  in  great 
confusion,  leaving  all  his  cannon  behind  him,  across  the 
Adda.  Behind  this  river  Beaulieu  now  concentrated 
his  army,  establishing  strong  guards  at  every  ford  and 
bridge,  and  especially  at  Lodi,  where,  as  he  guessed 
(for  once  rightly),  the  French  general  designed  to  force 
his  passage. 

The  wooden  bridge  of  Lodi  formed  the  scene  of  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  actions  of  the  war.  It  was  a 
great  neglect  in  Beaulieu  to  leave  it  standing  when  he 
removed  his  head-quarters  to  the  east  bank  of  the  Adda : 
his  outposts  were  driven  rapidly  through  the  old  strag- 
gling town  of  Lodi  on  the  10th;  and  the  French,  shel- 
tering themselves  behind  the  walls  and  the  houses,  lay 
ready  to  attempt  the  passage  of  the  bridge.  Beaulieu 
had  placed  a  battery  of  thirty  cannon  so  as  to  sweep  it 
completely;  and  the  enterprise  of  storming  it  in  the  face 
of  this  artillery,  and  of  a  whole  army  drawn  up  behind, 
is  one  of  the  most  daring  on  record. 

Bonaparte's  first  care  was  to  place  as  many  guns  as  he 
could  get  in  order  in  direct  opposition  to  this  Austrian 
battery.  A  furious  cannonade  on  his  side  of  the  river 
also  now  commenced.  The  general  himself  appeared  in 
the  midst  of  the  fire,  pointing  with  his  own  hand  two  guns 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  cut  off  the  Austrians  from  the 
only  path  by  which  they  could  have  advanced  to  un- 
dermine the  bridge ;  and  it  was  on  this  occasion  that 
the  soldiery,  delighted  with  his  dauntless  exposure  of 
his  person,  conferred  on  him  his  honorary  nickname  of 
The  Little  Corporal.  In  the  mean  time,  he  had  sent 
general  Beaumont  and  the  cavalry  to  attempt  the  pas- 
sage of  the  river  by  a  distant  ford  (which  they  had 
much  difficulty  in  effecting),  and  awaited  with  anxiety 
the  moment  when  they  should  appear  on  the  enemy's 
flank.  When  that  took  place,  Beaulieu's  line,  of  course, 
showed  some  confusion,  and  Napoleon  instantly  gave 
the  word.  A  column  of  grenadiers,  whom  he  had  kept 
ready  drawn  up  close  to  the  bridge,  but  under  shelter 
of  the  houses,  were  in  a  moment  wheeled  to  the  left. 


34  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796. 

and  their  leading  files  placed  on  the  bridge.  They 
rushed  on,  shouting  Vive  la  Republique  !  but  the  storm 
of  grape-shot  for  a  moment  checked  them.  Bonaparte, 
Lannes,  Berthier,  and  Lallemagne,  hurried  to  the  front, 
and  rallied  and  cheered  the  men.  The  column  dash- 
ed across  the  bridge  in  despite  of  the  tempest  of  fire 
that  thinned  them.  The  brave  Lannes  was  the  first 
who  reached  the  other  side,  Napoleon  himself  the  sec- 
ond. The  Austrian  artillery-men  were  bayoneted  at 
their  guns  ere  the  other  troops,  whom  Beaulieu  had 
removed  too  far  back,  in  his  anxiety  to  avoid  the 
French  battery,  could  come  to  their  assistance.  Beau- 
mont pressing  gallantly  with  his  horse  upon  the  flank, 
and  Napoleon's  infantry  forming  rapidly  as  they  passed 
the  bridge,  and  charging  on  the  instant,  the  Austrian 
line  became  involved  in  inextricable  confusion,  broke 
up  and  fled.  The  slaughter  on  their  side  was  great ;  on 
the  French,  there  fell  only  200  men.  With  such  rapid- 
ity, and  consequently  with  so  little  loss,  did  Bonaparte 
execute  this  dazzlmg  adventure — "  the  terrible  passage," 
as  he  himself  called  it,  "  of  the  bridge  of  Lodi." 

It  was,  indeed,  terrible  to  the  enemy.  It  deprived 
them  of  another  excellent  line  of  defence ;  and  blew  up 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  French  soldiery  to  a  pitch  of  ir- 
resistible daring.  Beaulieu,  nevertheless,  contrived  to 
withdraw  his  troops  in  much  better  style  than  Bona- 
parte had  anticipated.  He  gathered  the  scattered 
fragments  of  his  force  together,  arid  soon  threw  the  line 
of  the  Mincio,  atributary  of  the  Po,  between  himself  and 
his  enemy.  The  great  object,  however,  had  been  at- 
tained :  and  no  obstacle  remained  between  the  victo- 
rious invader  and  the  rich  and  noble  capital  of  Lom- 
bardy.  The  garrison  of  Pizzighitone,  seeing  themselves 
effectually  cut  off  from  the  Austrian  army,  capitulated. 
The  French  cavalry  pursued  Beaulieu  as  far  as  Cre- 
mona, which  town  they  seized ;  and  Bonaparte  himself 
prepared  to  march  at  once  upon  Milan.  It  was  after 
one  of  these  affairs  that  an  old  Hungarian  officer  was 
brought  prisoner  to  Bonaparte,  who  entered  into  con- 
versation with  him,  and  among  other  matters  questioned 
him  "  what  he  thought  of  the  state  of  the  war  ?"  "  Noth- 


1796.]  ENTERS    MILAN.  85 

ing,"  replied  the  old  gentleman,  who  did  not  know  he 
was  addressing  the  general-in-chief, — "  nothing  can  be 
worse.  Here  is  a  young  man  who  knows  absolutely 
nothing  of  the  rules  of  war  ;  to-day  he  is  in  our  rear, 
to-morrow  on  our  flank,  next  day  again  in  our  front. 
Such  violations  of  the  principles  of  the  art  of  war  are 
intolerable!" 

The  archduke,  who  governed  in  Lombardy  for  the 
emperor,  had  made  many  a  long  prayer  and  procession ; 
but  the  saints  appeared  to  take  no  compassion  on  him, 
and  he  now  withdrew  from  the  capital.  A  revolution- 
ary party  had  always  existed  there,  as  indeed  in  every 
part  of  the  Austrian  dominions  beyond  the  Alps  ;  and 
the  tricolor-cockade,  the  emblem  of  France,  was  now 
mounted  by  multitudes  of  the  inhabitants.  The  muni- 
cipality hastened  to  invite  the  conqueror  to  appear 
among  them  as  their  friend  and  protector  ;  and  on  the 
14th  of  May,  four  days  after  Lodi,  Napoleon  accord- 
ingly entered,  in  all  the  splendor  of  a  military  triumph, 
the  venerable  and  opulent  city  of  the  old  Lombard 
kings.  The  conqueror  now  paused  to  look  about  and 
behind  him.  With  Sardinia  he  had  already  reckoned ; 
of  the  Austrian  capital  in  Italy  he  had  possession ;  there 
was  only  one  more  of  the  Italian  governments  (Naples) 
with  which  the  French  republic  was  actually  at  war ; 
although,  indeed,  he  had  never  concealed  his  intention 
against  the  court  of  Rome.  The  other  powers  of  Italy 
were,  at  worst,  neutrals  in  the  war ;  with  Tuscany  and 
Venice,  France  had,  in  fact,  friendly  relations.  But 
Napoleon  knew,  or  believed,  that  all  the  Italian  govern- 
ments, without  exception,  considered  the  French  inva- 
sion of  Italy  as  a  common  calamity ;  the  personal 
wishes  of  most  of  the  minor  princes  (nearly  connected 
as  those  were,  by  blood  or  alliance,  with  the  imperial 
house  of  Austria)  he  not  unreasonably  concluded,  were 
strongly  against  his  own  success  in  this  great  enterprise. 
Such  were  his  pretences — more  or  less  feasible ;  the 
temptation  was,  in  fact,  great ;  and  he  resolved  to  con- 
sider and  treat  whatever  had  not  been  with  him  as  if 
it  had  been  against  him.  The  weak  but  wealthy  prin- 
ces of  Parma  and  Modena,  and  others  of  the  same 


36  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796. 

order,  were  forthwith  compelled  to  purchase  his  clem- 
ency not  less  dearly  than  if  they  had  been  in  arms. 
Besides  money,  of  which  he  made  them  disburse  large 
sums,  he  demanded  from  each  a  tribute  of  pictures  and 
statues,  to  be  selected  at  the  discretion  of  citizen  Monge 
and  other  French  connoisseurs  who  now  attended  his 
march  for  such  purposes. 

Bonaparte  remained  but  five  days  in  Milan ;  the 
citadel  of  that  place  still  held  out  against  him  ;  but  he 
left  a  detachment  to  blockade  it,  and  proceeded  himself 
in  pursuit  of  Beaulieu.  The  Austrian  had  now  planted 
the  remains  of  his  army  behind  the  Mincio,  having  his 
left  on  the  great  and  strong  city  of  Mantua,  which  has 
been  termed  the  "  citadel  of  Italy,"  and  his  right  at  Pes- 
chiera,  a  Venetian  fortress,  of  which  he  took  possession 
in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  the  doge.  Peschiera 
stands  where  the  Mincio  "  flows  out  of  its  apparent 
lake,"  the  Lago  di  Guarda.  That  great  body  of  waters, 
stretching  many  miles  backwards  towards  the  Tyrolese 
Alps,  at  once  extended  the  line  of  defence,  and  kept  the 
communication  open  with  Vienna.  The  Austrian  vet- 
eran occupied  one  of  the  strongest  positions  that  it  is 
possible  to  imagine.  The  invader  hastened  once  more 
to  dislodge  him. 

The  French  directory,  meanwhile,  had  begun  to  en- 
tertain certain  not  unnatural  suspicions  as  to  the  ulti- 
mate designs  of  their  young  general,  whose  success  and 
fame  had  already  reached  so  astonishing  a  height. 
They  determined  to  check,  if  they  could,  the  career  of 
an  ambition  which  they  apprehended  might  outgrow 
their  control.  Bonaparte  was  ordered  to  take  half  his 
army,  and  lead  it  against  the  pope  and  the  king  of  Na- 
ples, and  leave  the  other  half  to  terminate  the  contest 
with  Beaulieu,  under  the  orders  of  Kellermann.  But 
he  acted  on  this  occasion  with  the  decision  which  these 
directors  in  vain  desired  to  emulate.  He  answered  by 
resigning  his  command.  "  One  half  of  the  army  of 
Italy,"  said  he,  "  cannot  suffice  to  finish  the  matter  with 
the  Austrian.  It  is  only  by  keeping  my  force  entire 
that  I  have  been  able  to  gain  so  many  battles  and  to  be 
now  in  Milan.  You  had  better  have  one  bad  general 


1796.]  INSURRECTION    IN    LOMBARDY.  37 

than  two  good  ones."  The  directory  durst  not  persist 
in  displacing  the  chief  whose  name  was  considered  as 
the  pledge  of  victory.  Napoleon  resumed  the  undivided 
command,  to  which  now,  for  the  last  time,  his  right  had 
been  questioned. 

Another  unlooked-for  occurrence  delayed,  for  a  few 
days  longer,  the  march  upon  Mantua.  The  heavy  ex- 
actions of  the  French,  and  even  more  perhaps  the  wan- 
ton contempt  with  which  they  treated  the  churches  and 
the  clergy,  had  produced  or  fostered  the  indignation  of 
a  large  part  of  the  population  throughout  Lombardy. 
Reports  of  new  Austrian  levies  being  poured  down  the 
passes  of  the  Tyrol  were  spread  and  believed.  Popular 
insurrections  against  the  conqueror  took  place  in  vari- 
ous districts  :  at  least  30,000  were  in  arms.  At  Pavia 
the  insurgents  were  entirely  triumphant ;  they  had 
seized  the  town,  and  compelled  the  French  garrison  to 
surrender. 

This  flame,  had  it  been  suffered  to  spread,  threatened 
immeasurable  evil  to  the  French  cause.  Lannes  in- 
stantly marched  to  Benasco,  stormed  the  place,  plun- 
dered and  burnt  it,  and  put  the  inhabitants  to  the  sword 
without  mercy.  The  general  in  person  appeared  be- 
fore Pavia ;  blew  the  gates  open ;  easily  scattered  the 
townspeople ;  and  caused  the  leaders  to  be  executed. 
Everywhere  the  same  system  was  acted  on.  The  in- 
surgent commanders  were  tried  by  courts-martial,  and 
shot  without  ceremony.  At  Lugo,  where  a  French 
squadron  of  horse  had  been  gallantly  and  disastrously 
defeated,  the  whole  of  the  male  inhabitants  were  mas- 
sacred. These  bloody  examples  quelled  the  insurrec- 
tions ;  but  they  fixed  the  first  dark  and  indelible  stain 
on  the  name  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 

The  spirit  of  the  Austrian  and  Catholic  parties  in 
Lombardy  thus  crushed,  the  French  advanced  on  the 
Mincio.  The  general  made  such  disposition  of  his 
troops,  that  Beaulieu  doubted  not  he  meant  to  pass  that 
river,  if  he  could,  at  Peschiera.  Meantime,  he  had 
been  preparing  to  repeat  the  scene  of  Placenza,  and 
actually,  on  the  30th  of  May,  forced  the  passage  of  the 
Mincio,  not  at  Peschiera,  but  further  down  at  Borghetto. 


38  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1796. 

The  Austrian  garrison  at  Borghetto  in  vain  destroyed 
one  arch  of  the  bridge.  Bonaparte  supplied  the  breach 
with  planks ;  and  his  men,  flushed  with  so  many  victo- 
ries, charged  with  a  fury  not  to  be  resisted.  Beaulieu 
was  obliged  to  abandon  the  Mincio,  as  he  had  before 
the  Adda  and  the  Po,  and  to  take  up  the  new  line  of 
the  Adige. 

Meantime,  an  occurrence,  which  may  be  called  acci- 
dental, had  nearly  done  more  than  repay  the  Austrians 
for  all  their  reverses.  The  left  of  their  line,  stationed 
still  further  down  the  Mincio,  at  Puzzuolo,  no  sooner 
learned  from  the  cannonade  that  the  French  were  at 
Borghetto,  than  they  hastened  to  ascend  the  stream, 
with  the  view  of  assisting  the  defence  of  their  friends. 
They  came  too  late  for  this  ;  the  commander  at  Borgh- 
etto had  retreated  ere  they  arrived.  They,  however, 
came  unexpectedly  ;  and,  such  was  the  chance,  reached 
Valleggio  after  the  French  army  had  pursued  the  Aus- 
trians through  it  and  onwards — and,  at  the  moment 
when  Bonaparte  and  a  few  friends,  considering  the 
work  of  the  day  to  be  over,  and  this  village  as  alto- 
gether in  the  rear  of  both  armies,  were  about  to  sit 
down  to  dinner  in  security,  SebetendorfF,  who  com- 
manded the  Puzzuolo  division,  came  rapidly,  little  guess- 
ing what  a  prize  was  near  him,  into  the  village.  The 
French  general's  attendants  had  barely  time  to  shut 
the  gates  of  the  inn,  and  alarm  their  chief  by  the  cry 
"  to  arms."  Bonaparte  threw  himself  on  horseback, 
and  galloping  out  by  a  back  passage,  effected  the  nar- 
rowest of  escapes  from  the  most  urgent  of  dangers. 
SebetendorfF  was  soon  assaulted  by  a  French  column, 
and  retreated,  after  Beaulieu's  example,  on  the  line  of 
the  Adige.  Bonaparte,  profiting  by  the  perilous  adven- 
ture of  Valleggio,  instituted  a  small  corps  of  picked 
men,  called  guides,  to  watch  continually  over  his  per- 
sonal safety.  Such  was  the  germ  from  which  sprung 
by  degrees  the  famous  imperial  guard  of  Napoleon. 

The  Austrian  had  thus,  in  effect,  abandoned  for  the 
time  the  open  country  of  Italy.  He  now  lay  on  the 
frontier  between  the  vast  tract  of  rich  provinces  which 
Napoleon  had  conquered  and  the  Tyrol.  The  citadel 


1796.]  VENICE    INSULTED.  39 

of  Milan,  indeed,  still  held  out ;  but  the  force  there  was 
not  great,  and,  cooped  up  on  every  side,  could  not  be 
expected  to  resist  much  longer.  Mantua,  which  pos- 
sessed prodigious  natural  advantages,  and  into  which 
the  retreating  general  had  flung  a  garrison  of  full  15,000 
men,  was,  in  truth,  the  last  and  only  Italian  possession 
of  the  imperial  crown,  which,  as  it  seemed,  there  might 
still  be  a  possibility  of  saving.  Beaulieu  anxiously 
awaited  the  approach  of  new  troops  from  Germany  to 
attempt  the  relief  of  this  great  city  ;  and  his  antagonist, 
eager  to  anticipate  the  efforts  of  the  imperial  govern- 
ment, sat  down  immediately  before  it. 

Mantua  lies  on  an  island,  being  cut  off  on  all  sides 
from  the  main  land  by  the  branches  of  the  Mincio,  and 
approachable  only  by  five  narrow  causeways,  of  which 
three  were  defended  by  strong  and  regular  fortresses  or 
intrenched  camps,  the  other  two  by  gates,  drawbridges, 
and  batteries.  The  garrison  were  prepared  to  maintain 
the  position  with  their  usual  bravery :  and  it  remained 
to  be  seen  whether  the  French  general  possessed  any 
new  system  of  attack,  capable  of  abridging  the  usual 
operations  of  the  siege,  as  effectually  as  he  had  already 
done  by  those  of  the  march  and  the  battle.  His  com- 
mencement was  alarming ;  of  the  five  causeways,  by 
sudden  and  overwhelming  assaults,  he  obtained  four; 
and  the  garrison  were  cut  off  from  the  main  land,  ex- 
cept only  at  the  fifth  causeway,  the  strongest  of  them 
all,  named,  from  a  palace  near  it,  La  Favorita.  It 
seemed  necessary,  however,  in  order  that  this  blockade 
might  be  complete,  that  the  Venetian  territory,  lying 
beyond  Mantua,  should  immediately  be  occupied  by  the 
French.  The  power  of  this  ancient  government  was 
no  longer  such  as  to  inspire  much  respect,  and  Bona- 
parte resolved  that  the  claim  of  neutrality  should  form 
no  obstacle  to  his  measure.  The  French  directory  had 
already  most  ungenerously  trampled  on  the  dignity  of 
Venice,  by  demanding  that  she  should  no  longer  afford 
a  retreat  to  the  illustrious  exile,  the  count  of  Provence, 
eldest  surviving  brother  of  Louis  XVI.  That  unfortu- 
nate prince  had,  accordingly,  though  most  reluctantly, 
been  desired  to  emit  the  Venetian  states,  and  had  al- 


40  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1796 

ready  passed  to  the  Rhine,  where  his  gallant  cousin,  the 
prince  of  Conde,  had  long  been  at  the  head  of  a  small 
and  devoted  army  composed  of  the  expatriated  gentry 
of  France.  Bonaparte,  however,  chose  to  treat  the  re- 
luctance with  which  Venice  had  been  driven  to  this  vio- 
lation of  her  hospitality,  as  a  new  injury  to  his  govern- 
ment :  he  argued  that  a  power  who  had  harbored  in 
friendship,  and  unwillingly  expelled,  the  Pretender  to 
the  French  monarchy,  had  lost  all  title  to  forbearance 
on  the  part  of  the  revolutionary  forces.  Using  this  as 
a  pretext  for  infringing  on  their  neutrality,  Bonaparte 
at  once  placed  garrisons  in  Verona,  and  all  the  strong 
places  of  that  domain.  Planting  the  tri-color  flag  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Tyrolese  passes,  he  left  Serrurier  to 
carry  on  the  blockade  of  Mantua,  while  he  returned  to 
Milan  to  arrange  important  business  there. 

The  king  of  Naples,  utterly  confounded  by  the  suc- 
cesses of  the  French,  was  now  anxious  to  procure 
peace,  almost  on  whatever  terms,  with  the  .pparently 
irresistible  republic.  Nor  did  it,  for  the  n  /ment,  suit 
Bonaparte's  views  to  contemn  his  advance-  .  A  peace 
with  this  prince  would  withdraw  some  v*  mable  divi- 
sions from  the  army  of  Beaulieu ;  and  the  listance  of 
the  Neapolitan  territory  was  such,  that  th«  French  had 
no  means  of  carrying  the  war  thither  witl  advantage, 
so  long  as  Austria  retained  the  power  of  sending  new 
forces  into  Italy  by  the  way  of  the  Tyrol.  He  concluded 
an  armistice  accordingly,  which  was  soon  followed  by 
a  formal  peace,  with  the  king  of  the  two  Sicilies ; 
and  the  Neapolitan  troops,  abandoning  the  Austrian 
general,  began  their  march  to  the  south  of  Italy. 

This  transaction  placed  another  of  Napoleon's  des- 
tined victims  entirely  within  his  grasp.  With  no  friend 
behind  him,  the  pope  saw  himself  at  the  mercy  of  the 
invader ;  and  in  terror  prepared  to  submit.  Bonaparte 
occupied  immediately  his  legations  of  Bologna  and 
Ferrara,  making  prisoners  in  the  latter  of  these  towns, 
four  hundred  of  the  papal  troops,  and  a  cardinal,  under 
whose  orders  they  were.  The  churchman  militant  was 
dismissed  on  parole ;  but,  being  recalled  to  head-quar- 
ters, answered  that  his  master,  the  pope,  had  given  him 


1796.]  MJLAN LEGHORN FLORENCE.  41 

a  dispensation  to  break  his  promise.  The  Vatican, 
meanwhile,  perceived  that  no  time  was  to  be  lost.  The 
Spanish  resident  at  the  Roman  court  was  despatched  to 
Milan  ;  and  the  terms  on  which  the  holy  father  was  to 
obtain  a  brief  respite  were  at  length  arranged.  Bona- 
parte demanded  and  obtained  a  million  sterling,  a  hun- 
dred of  the  finest  pictures  and  statues  in  the  papal 
gallery,  a  large  supply  of  military  stores,  and  the  cession 
of  Ancona,  Ferrara,  and  Bologna,  with  their  respective 
domains. 

He  next  turned  his  attention  to  the  grand  duke  of 
Tuscany, — a  prince  who  had  not  only  not  taken  any  part 
in  the  war  against  the  republic,  but  had  been  the  very 
first  of  the  European  rulers  to  recognize  its  establish- 
ment, and  had  kept  on  terms  of  friendship  with  all  its 
successive  authorities.  Bonaparte,  however,  in  pur- 
suance of  his  system,  resolved,  that  the  brother  of  the 
emperor  should  pay  for  his  presumed  inclinations.  For 
the  present,  the  Florentine  museum  and  the  grand  duke's 
treasury  were  spared;  but  Leghorn,  the  seaport  of  Tus- 
cany and  great  feeder  of  its  wealth,  was  seized  without 
ceiemony.  The  grand  duke,  in  place  of  resenting  these 
injuries,  was  obliged  to  receive  Bonaparte  with  all  the 
appearance  of  cordiality  at  Florence ;  and  the  spoiler 
repaid  his  courtesy  by  telling  him,  rubbing  his  hands 
with  glee,  during  the  princely  entertainment  provided 
for  him,  "  I  have  just  received  letters  from  Milan  ;  the 
citadel  has  fallen ; — your  brother  has  no  longer  a  foot  of 
land  in  Lombardy."  "  It  is  a  sad  case,"  said  Napoleon 
himself  long  afterward, — speaking  of  these  scenes  of 
exaction  and  insolence, — "  when  the  dwarf  comes  into 
the  embrace  of  the  giant,  he  is  like  enough  to  be  suffo- 
cated; but  it  is  the  giant's  nature  to  squeeze  hard." 

In  the  mean  time,  the  general  did  not  neglect  the 
great  and  darling  plan  of  the  French  government,  of 
thoroughly  revolutionizing  the  north  of  Italy,  and  es- 
tablishing there  a  group  of  republics  modelled  after 
their  own  likeness,  and  prepared  to  act  as  subservient 
allies  in  their  mighty  contest  with  the  European  mon- 
archies. He  was  strongly  urged  to  this,  but  he  had  by 
this  time  learned  to  think  of  many  idols  of  the  directory, 


42  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796. 

with  about  as  little  reverence  as  they  bestowed  on  the 
shrines  of  Catholicism ;  in  his  opinion  more  was  to  be 
gained  by  temporizing  with  both  the  governments  and 
the  people  of  Italy,  than  by  any  hasty  measures  of  the 
kind  recommended.  He  saw  well  the  deep  disgust  which 
his  exactions  had  excited.  "You  cannot/'  said  he,  "at 
one  and  the  same  moment  rob  people,  and  persuade 
them  you  are  their  friends."  He  fancied,  moreover, 
that  the  pope  and  other  nerveless  rulers  of  the  land 
might  be  converted  into  at  least  as  convenient  minis- 
ters of  French  exaction,  as  any  new  establishments  he 
could  raise  in  their  room.  Finally,  he  perceived  that 
whenever  the  directory  were  to  arrange  seriously 
the  terms  of  a  settlement  with  the  great  monarchy  of 
Austria,  their  best  method  would  be  to  restore  Lom- 
bardy,  and  thereby  purchase  the  continued  possession 
of  the  more  conveniently  situated  territories  of  Belgium 
and  the  Louxembourg.  The  general,  therefore,  tempo- 
rized ;  content,  in  the  mean  time,  with  draining  the  ex- 
chequers of  the  governments,  and  cajoling  from  day  to 
day  the  population.  The  directory  were  with  difficulty 
persuaded  to  let  him  follow  his  own  course;  but  he 
now  despised  their  wisdom,  and  they  had  been  taught 
effectually  to  dread  his  strength. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"WuRitSER    SUPERSEDES   BEATJLIEU THE    AuSTRIANS   ADVANCE    FROM  THE 

TYROL — Battle  of  Lonato — Escape  of  Napoleon — Castiglione— 
Wurmser  retreats  on  Trent,  and  is  recruited — He  is  shut  up  in  Man- 
tua— Alvinzi  is  sent  by  Austria  to  Italy — The  three  Battles  of  Ar- 
cola — Retreat  of  Alvinzi — Rivoli — Surrender  of  Mantua — Despair 
of  the  Pope — Treaty  of  Tollentino — The  Archduke  Charles — Battle 
of  Tagliamento — Retreat  of  the  Archduke — Treaty  of  Leoben — Pi- 
chegru — The  Directory  in  Trouble,  and  appeal  to  Bonaparte — Jo- 
sephine— The  Court  of  Montebello — The  Treaty  of  Campo-Formio — 
A.D.  1796-1797. 

THE  general  was  now  recalled  to  the  war.  The 
cabinet  of  Vienna  had  at  last  resolved  upon  sending 
efficient  aid  to  the  Italian  frontier.  Beaulieu  had  been 
too  often  unfortunate  to  be  trusted  longer  :  Wurmser, 
who  enjoyed  a  reputation  of  the  highest  class,  was  sent 
to  replace  him  :  30,000  men  were  drafted  from  the  ar- 
mies on  the  Rhine  to  accompany  the  new  general ;  and 
he  carried  orders  to  strengthen  himself  further  on  his 
march,  by  whatever  recruits  he  could  raise  among  the 
warlike  and  loyal  population  of  the  Tyrol. 

Wurmser's  army,  when  he  fixed  his  head-quarters 
at  Trent,  mustered  in  all  80,000  ;  while  Bonaparte  had 
but  30,000  to  hold  a  wide  country  in  which  abhorrence 
of  the  French  cause  was  now  prevalent,  to  keep  up 
the  blockade  of  Mantua,  and  to  oppose  this  fearful  odds 
of  numbers  in  the  field.  He  was  now,  moreover,  to 
act  on  the  defensive,  while  his  adversary  assumed  the 
more  inspiriting  character  of  invader.  He  awaited  the 
result  with  calmness. 

Wurmser  might  have  learned  from  the  successes  of 
Bonaparte  the  advantages  of  compact  movement ;  yet 
he  was  unwise  enough  to  divide  his  great  force  into 
three  separate  columns,  and  to  place  one  of  these  upon 


44  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796 

a  line  of  march  which  entirely  separated  it  from  the 
support  of  the  others.  He  himself  with  his  centre, 
came  down  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Lago  di  Guarda, 
with  Mantua  before  him  as  his  mark ;  his  left  wing, 
under  Melas,  was  to  descend  the  Adige,  and  drive  the 
French  from  Verona ;  while  his  right  wing,  under 
Quasdonowich,  was  ordered  to  keep  down  the  valley 
of  the  Chiese,  in  the  direction  of  Brescia,  and  so  to 
cut  off  the  retreat  of  Bonaparte  upon  the  Milanese  ; — 
in  other  words,  to  interpose  the  waters  of  the  Lago  di 
Guarda  between  themselves  and  the  march  of  their 
friends — a  blunder  not  likely  to  escape  the  eagle  eye 
of  Napoleon. 

He  immediately  determined  to  march  against  Quas- 
donowich, and  fight  him  where  he  could  not  be  sup- 
ported by  the  other  two  columns.  This  could  not  be 
done  without  abandoning  for  the  time  the  blockade  of 
Mantua,  which  was  accordingly  done.  The  guns  were 
buried  in  the  trenches  during  the  night  of  the  31st 
July,  and  the  French  quitted  the  place  with  a  precipi- 
tation which  the  advancing  Austrians  considered  as 
the  result  of  terror. 

Napoleon,  meanwhile,  rushed  against  Quasdono- 
wich, who  had  already  come  near  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  of  Guarda.  At  Salo,  close  by  the  lake,  and  fur- 
ther from  it,  at  Lonato,  two  divisions  of  the  Austrian 
column  were  attacked  and  overwhelmed.  Augereau 
and  Messena,  leaving  merely  rear-guards  at  Borghetto 
and  Peschiera,  now  marched  also  upon  Brescia.  The 
whole  force  of  Quasdonowich  must  inevitably  have 
been  ruined  by  these  combinations  had  he  stood  his 
ground ;  but  by  this  time  the  celerity  of  Napoleon  had 
overawed  him,  and  he  was  already  in  full  retreat  upon 
his  old  quarters  in  the  Tyrol.  Augereau  and  Massena, 
therefore,  countermarched  their  columns,  and  returned 
towards  the  Mincio. 

In  the  mean  time  Wurmser  had  forced  their  rear- 
guards from  their  posts,  and  flushed  with  these  suc- 
cesses, he  now  resolved  to  throw  his  whole  force  upon 
the  French,  and  resume  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  his 
communication  with  the  scattered  column  of  Quasdo- 


1796.]  BATTLE  OF  LONATO.  45 

novvich.  He  was  so  fortunate  as  to  defeat  a  French  di- 
vision at  Lonato,  and  to  occupy  that  town.  But  this 
new  success  was  fatal  to  him.  In  the  exultation  of  vic- 
tory he  extended  his  line  too  much  towards  the  right ; 
and  this  over-anxiety  to  open  the  communication  with 
Quasdonowich  had  the  effect  of  so  weakening  his 
centre,  that  Massena,  boldly  and  skilfully  seizing  the 
opportunity,  poured  two  strong  columns  on  Lonato 
and  regained  the  position  ;  whereon  the  Austrian,  per- 
ceiving that  his  army  was  cut  in  two,  was  thrown  into 
utter  confusion.  Some  of  his  troops,  marching  to  the 
right,  were  met  by  those  of  the  French  who  had  al- 
ready defeated  Quasdonowich  in  that  quarter,  and 
obliged  to  surrender  :  the  most  retreated  in  great  dis- 
order. At  Castiglione  alone  a  brave  stand  was  made : 
but  this  position  was  at  length  forced  by  Augereau. 
Such  was  the  battle  of  Lonato.  Thenceforth  nothing 
could  surpass  the  discomfiture  and  disarray  of  the  Aus- 
trians.  They  fled  in  all  directions  upon  the  Mincio, 
where  Wurmser  himself,  meanwhile,  had  been  em- 
ployed in  revictualling  Mantua. 

A  mere  accident  had  once  almost  saved  them.  One 
of  the  many  defeated  divisions  of  the  army,  wandering 
about  in  anxiety  to  find  some  means  of  reaching  the 
Mincio,  came  suddenly  on  Lonato,  the  scene  of  the 
late  battle,  at  a  moment  when  Napoleon  was  there  with 
only  his  staff  and  guards  about  him.  He  knew  not 
that  any  considerable  body  of  Austrians  remained  to- 
gether in  the  neighborhood ;  and  but  for  his  presence 
of  mind  must  have  been  their  prisoner.  The  Austrian 
had  not  the  skill  to  profit  by  what  fortune  threw  in  his 
way ;  his  enemy  was  able  to  turn  even  a  blunder  into 
an  advantage.  The  officer  sent  to  demand  the  surren- 
der of  the  town  was  brought  blindfolded,  as  is  the  cus- 
tom, to  his  head-quarters.;  Bonaparte,  by  a  secret  sign, 
caused  his  whole  staff  to  draw  up  around  him,  and 
when  the  bandage  was  removed  from  the  messenger's 
eyes,  saluted  him  thus  :  "  What  means  this  insolence  ? 
Do  you  beard  the  French  general  in  the  middle  of  his 
army  ?"  The  German  recognized  the  person  of  Na- 
poleon, and  retreated  stammering  and  blushing.  He 


40  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796. 

assured  his  commander  that  Lonato  was  occupied  bv 
the  French  in  numbers  that  made  resistance  impossi- 
ble ;  4000  men  laid  down  their  arms  ;  and  then  discov- 
ered, that  if  they  had  used  them,  nothing  could  have 
prevented  Napoleon  from  being  their  prize. 

Wurmser  collected  together  the  whole  of  his  remain- 
ing force,  and  advanced  to  meet  the  conqueror.  He, 
meanwhile,  had  himself  determined  on  the  assault,  and 
was  hastening  to  the  encounter.  They  met  between 
Lonato  and  Castiglione.  Wurmser  was  totally  defeat- 
ed, and  narrowly  escaped  being  a  prisoner ;  nor  did  he 
without  great  difficulty  regain  Trent  and  Roveredo, 
those  frontier  positions  from  which  his  noble  army  had 
so  recently  descended  with  all  the  confidence  of  con- 
querors. In  this  disastrous  campaign  the  Austriaris 
lost  40,000 ;  Bonaparte  probably  understated  his  own 
loss  at  7000.  During  the  seven  days  which  the  cam- 
paign occupied,  he  never  took  off  his  boots,  nor  slept 
except  by  starts.  The  exertions  which  so  rapidly 
achieved  this  signal  triumph  were  such  as  to  demand 
some  repose  ;  yet  Napoleon  did  not  pause  until  he  saw 
Mantua  once  more  completely  invested.  The  rein- 
forcement and  revictualling  of  that  garrison  were  all 
that  Wurmser  could  show,  in  requital  of  his  lost  artil- 
lery, stores,  and  40,000  men. 

The  victories  so  signally  achieved  were  not  to  re- 
main undisputed.  Austria,  ever  constant  in  adversity, 
hastened  to  place  20,000  fresh  troops  under  the  orders 
of  Wurmser ;  and  the  brave  veteran,  whose  heart  noth- 
ing could  chill,  prepared  himself  to  make  one  more 
effort  to  relieve  Mantua,  and  drive  the  French  out  of 
Lombardy.  His  army  was  now,  as  before,  greatly  the 
superior  in  numbers ;  and  though  the  bearing  of  his 
troops  was  more  modest,  their  gallantry  remained  un- 
impaired. Once  more  the  old  general  divided  his  army  ; 
and  once  more  he  was  destined  to  see  it  shattered  in 
detail. 

He  marched  from  Trent  towards  Mantua,  through 
the  defiles  of  the  Brenta,  at  the  head  of  30,000  ;  leaving 
20,000  under  Davidowich  at  Roveredo,  to  cover  the 
Tyrol.  Bonaparte  instantly  detected  the  error  of  his 


1796.J          EOVEREDO THE  TYROL.  47 

opponent.  He  suffered  him  to  advance  unmolested  as 
far  as  Bassano,  and  the  moment  he  was  there,  and  con- 
sequently completely  separated  from  Davidowich  and 
his  rear,  drew  together  a  strong  force,  and  darted  on 
Roveredo,  by  marches  such  as  seemed  credible  only 
after  they  had  been  accomplished. 

The  battle  of  Roveredo  is  one  of  Napoleon's 
most  illustrious  days.  The  enemy  had  a  strongly  in- 
trenched camp  in  front  of  the  town;  and  behind  it, 
in  case  of  misfortune,  Galliano,  with  its  castle  seated 
on  a  precipice  over  the  Adige,  where  that  river  flows 
between  enormous  rocks  and  mountains,  appeared  to 
offer  an  impregnable  retreat.  Nothing  could  withstand 
the  ardor  of  the  French.  The  Austrians,  though  they 
defended  the  intrenched  camp  with  their  usual  obstina- 
cy, were  forced  to  give  way  by  the  impetuosity  of  Du- 
bois  and  his  hussars.  The  French  horse,  thus  anima- 
ted, pursued  the  Germans,  who  were  driven,  unable  to 
rally,  through  and  beyond  the  town.  Even  the  gigan- 
tic defences  of  Galliano  proved  of  no  avail.  Height 
after  height  was  carried  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet ; 
7000  prisoners  and  fifteen  cannon  remained  with  the 
conquerors.  The  Austrians  fled  to  Levisa,  which 
guards  one  of  the  chief  defiles  of  the  Tyrolese  Alps,  and 
were  there  beaten  again.  Vaubois  occupied  this  im- 
portant position  with  the  gallant  division  who  had 
forced  it.  Massena  fixed  himself  in  Wurmser's  late 
head-quarters  at  Trent ;  and  Napoleon,  having  thus  to- 
tally cut  off  the  field-marshal's  communication  with 
Germany,  proceeded  to  issue  proclamations  calling  on 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Tyrol  to  receive  the  French  as 
friends,  and  seize  the  opportunity  of  freeing  themselves 
forever  from  the  dominion  of  Austria.  He  put  forth 
an  edict  declaring  that  the  sovereignty  of  the  district 
was  henceforth  in  the  French  republic,  and  inviting  the 
people  themselves  to  arrange,  according  to  their  pleas- 
ure, its  interior  government. 

Wurmser  heard  with  dismay  of  the  utter  ruin  of 
Davidowich  ;  and  doubted  not  that  Napoleon  would 
now  march  onwards  into  Germany,  and  endeavor  to 
realize  the  great  scheme  of  Carnot — that  of  attacking 


48  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796. 

Vienna  itself.  The  old  general  saw  no  cb%ace  of  con- 
verting what  remained  to  him  of  his  arm\  to  good  pur- 
pose, but  by  remaining  in  Lombardy,  when  he  thought 
he  might  easily  excite  the  people  in  his  etnperor's 
favor,  overwhelm  the  slender  garrisons  left  by  Bona- 
parte, and  so  cut  off,  at  all  events,  the  French  retreat 
through  Italy,  in  case  they  should  meet  with  any  disas- 
ter in  the  Tyrol  or  in  Germany.  Napoleon  had  intelli- 
gence which  Wurmser  wanted.  Wurmser  himself  was 
his  mark :  and  he  returned  from  Trent  to  Primolano 
where  the  Austrian's  vanguard  lay,  by  a  forced  march 
of  not  less  than  sixty  miles  performed  in  two  days !  The 
surprise  with  which  this  descent  was  received  may  be 
imagined.  The  Austrian  van  was  destroyed  in  a 
twinkling.  The  French,  pushing  everything  before 
them,  halted  that  night  at  Cismone — where  Napoleon 
was  glad  to  have  half  a  private  soldier's  ration  of  bread 
for  his  supper.  Next  day  he  reached  Bassano,  where 
the  old  Austrian  once  more  expected  the  fatal  rencoun- 
ter. The  battle  of  Bassano  (Sept.  8)  was  a  fatal  repeti- 
tion of  those  that  had  gone  before  it.  Six  thousand 
Austrians  laid  down  their  arms.  Quasdonowich,  with 
one  division  of  4000,  escaped  to  Friuli ;  while  Wurm- 
ser himself,  retreating  to  Vicenza,  there  collected  with 
difficulty  a  remnant  of  16,000  beaten  and  discomfited 
soldiers.  His  situation  was  most  unhappy;  his  com- 
munication with  Austria  wholly  cut  off — his  artillery 
and  baggage  all  lost — the  flower  of  his  army  no  more. 
Nothing  seemed  to  remain  but  to  throw  himself  into 
Mantau,  and  there  hold  out  to  the  last  extremity,  in  the 
hope,  however  remote,  of  some  succors  from  Vienna ; 
and  such  was  the  resolution  of  this  often  outwitted,  but 
never  dispirited,  veteran. 

In  order  to  execute  his  purpose,  it  was  necessary  to 
force  a  passage  somewhere  on  the  Adige ;  and  the 
Austrian,  especially  as  he  had  lost  all  his  pontoons, 
would  have  had  great  difficulty  in  doing  so,  but  for  a 
mistake  on  the  part  of  the  French  commander  at 
Legnago,  who,  conceiving  the  attempt  was  to  be  made 
at  Verona,  marched  to  reinforce  the  corps  stationed 
there,  and  so  left  his  own  position  unguarded.  Wurm- 


1796.]  ST.    GEORGK APPROACH    OF    ALVINZI.  4& 

ser,  taking  advantage  of  this,  passed  with  his  army  at 
Legnago,  and  after  a  series  of  bloody  skirmishes,  in 
which  fortune  divided  her  favors  pretty  equally,  at 
length  was  enabled  to  throw  himself  into  Mantua.  Na- 
poleon made  another  narrow  escape,  in  one  of  these 
skirmishes,  at  Arcola.  He  was  surrounded  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  had  just  gallopped  off,  when  Wurmser,  com- 
ing up,  and  learning  that  the  prize  was  so  near,  gave 
particular  directions  to  bring  him  in  alive ! 

Bonaparte,  after  making  himself  master  of  some 
scattered  corps  which  had  not  been  successful  in  keep- 
ing up  with  Wurmser,  reappeared  once  more  before 
Mantua.  The  battle  of  St.  George — so  called  from 
one  of  the  suburbs  of  the  city — was  fought  on  the  13th 
of  Sept. ;  and  after  prodigious  slaughter,  the  French 
remained  in  possession  of  all  the  causeways;  so  that 
the  blockade  of  the  city  and  fortress  was  thenceforth 
complete.  The  garrison,  when  "Wurmser  shut  himself 
up,  amounted  to  26,000  :  ere  October  was  far  advanced, 
the  pestilential  air  of  the  place,  and  the  scarcity  and 
badness  of  provisions,  had  filled  his  hospitals,  and  left 
him  hardly  half  the  number  in  fighting  condition.  The 
misery  of  the  besieged  town  was  extreme  ;  and  if  Aus- 
tria meant  to  rescue  Wurmser,  there  was  no  time  to  be 
lost. 

A  powerful  armament  was  once  more  fitted  out  by  the 
imperial  council  for  operations  in  Italy.  The  supreme 
command  was  given  to  marshal  Alvinzi,  a  veteran  of 
high  reputation.  He,  having  made  extensive  levies  in 
Illyria,  appeared  at  Friuli ;  while  Davidowich,  with  the 
remnant  of  Quasdonowich's  army,  amply  recruited 
among  the  bold  peasantry  of  the  Tyrol,  and  with  fresh 
drafts  from  the  Rhine,  took  ground  above  Trent.  The 
marshal  had  in  all  60,000  men  under  his  orders.  Bona- 
parte had  received  only  twelve  new  battalions,  to  re- 
place all  the  losses  of  those  terrible  campaigns,  in  which 
three  imperial  armies  had  already  been  annihilated. 
The  Austrian  superiority  of  numbers  was  once  more 
such,  that  nothing  but  the  most  masterly  combinations 
on  the  part  of  the  French  general,  could  have  prevent- 


50  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796. 

ed  them  from  sweeping  everything  before  them  in  the 
plains  of  Lombardy. 

Bonaparte  heard  in  the  beginning  of  October  that 
Alvinzi's  columns  were  in  motion :  he  had  placed  Vau- 
bois  to  guard  Trent,  and  Massena  at  Bassano  to  check 
the  march  of  the  field-marshal;  but  neither  of  these 
generals  was  able  to  hold  his  ground.  Napoleon  him- 
self hurried  forward  to  sustain  Massena ;  and  a  severe 
rencontre,  in  which  either  side  claimed  the  victory, 
took  place  at  Vicenza.  The  French,  however,  retreat- 
ed, and  Bonaparte  fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Verona. 
The  whole  country  between  the  Brenta  and  the  Adige 
was  in  Alvinzi's  hands ;  while  the  still  strong  and 
determined  garrison  of  Mantua,  in  Napoleon's  rear, 
rendering  it  indispensable  for  him  to  divide  his  forces, 
made  his  position  eminently  critical. 

His  first  care  was  to  visit  the  discomfited  troops  of 
Vaubois.  "  You  have  displeased  me,"  said  he,  "  you 
have  suffered  yourselves  to  be  driven  from  positions 
where  a  handful  of  determined  men  might  have  bid  an 
army  defiance.  You  are  no  longer  French  soldiers ! 
You  belong  not  to  the  army  of  Italy."  At  these 
words  tears  streamed  down  the  rugged  cheeks  of  the 
grenadiers.  "Place  us  but  once  more  in  the  van/' 
cried  they,  "and  you  shall  judge  whether  we  do  not 
belong  to  the  army  of  Italy."  The  general  dropped 
his  angry  tone;  and  in  the  rest  of  the  campaign  no 
troops  more  distinguished  themselves  than  these. 

Having  thus  revived  the  ardor  of  his  soldiery,  Bona- 
parte concentrated  his  columns  on  the  right  of  the 
Adige,  while  Alvinzi  took  up  a  very  strong  position  on 
the  heights  of  Caldiero,  on  the  left  bank,  nearly  oppo- 
site to  Verona.  In  pursuance  of  the  same  system 
which  had  already  so  often  proved  fatal  to  his  oppo- 
nents, it  was  the  object  of  Bonaparte  to  assault  Alvinzi, 
and  scatter  his  forces,  ere  they  could  be  joined  by  Da- 
vidowich.  He  lost  no  time,  therefore,  in  attacking  the 
heights  of  Caldiero ;  but  in  spite  of  all  that  Massena, 
who  headed  the  charge,  could  do,  the  Austrians,  strong 
in  numbers  and  in  position,  repelled  the  assailants  with 
great  carnage  A  terrible  tempest  prevailed  during  the 


1796.]  BRIDGE    OP    ARCOLA,  51 

action,  and  Napoleon,  in  his  despatches,  endeavored  to 
shift  the  blame  to  the  elements. 

The  country  behind  Caldiero  lying  open  to  Davido- 
wich,  it  became  necessary  to  resort  to  other  means  of 
assault,  or  permit  the  dreaded  junction  to  occur.  The 
genius  of  Bonaparte  suggested  to  him  on  this  occasion 
a  movement  altogether  unexpected.  During  the  night, 
leaving  1500  men  under  Kilmaine  to  guard  Verona, 
he  marched  for  some  space  rearwards,  as  if  he  had 
meant  to  retreat  on  Mantua,  which  the  failure  of  his 
recent  assault  rendered  not  unlikely.  But  his  columns 
were  ere  long  wheeled  again  towards  the  Adige ;  and 
finding  a  bridge  ready  prepared,  were  at  once  placed  on 
the  same  side  of  the  river  with  the  enemy, — but  in  the 
rear  altogether  of  his  position,  amid  those  wide-spread- 
ing morasses  which  cover  the  country  about  Arcola. 
This  daring  movement  was  devised  to  place  Napoleon 
between  Alvinzi  and  Davidowich  ;  but  the  unsafe  na- 
ture of  the  ground,  and  the  narrowness  of  the  dykes, 
by  which  alone  he  could  advance  on  Arcola,  rendered 
victory  difficult,  and  reverse  most  hazardous.  He  di- 
vided his  men  into  three  columns,  and  charged  at  day- 
break by  the  three  dykes  which  conduct  to  Arcola. 
The  Austrian,  not  suspecting  that  the  main  body  of  the 
French  had  evacuated  Verona,  treated  this  at  first  as 
an  affair  of  light  troops ;  but  as  day  advanced,  the  truth 
became  apparent,  and  these  narrow  passages  were  de- 
fended with  the  most  determined  gallantry.  Augereau 
headed  the  first  column  that  reached  the  bridge  of  Ar- 
cola, and  was  there,  after  a  desperate  effort,  driven  back 
with  great  loss.  Bonaparte,  perceiving  the  necessity 
of  carrying  the  point  ere  Alvinzi  could  arrive,  now 
threw  himself  on  the  bridge,  and  seizing  a  standard, 
urged  his  grenadiers  once  more  to  the  charge. 

The  fire  was  tremendous ;  once  more  the  French 
gave  way.  Napoleon  himself,  lost  in  the  tumult,  was 
borne  backwards,  forced  over  the  dyke,  and  had  nearly 
been  smothered  in  the  morass,  while  some  of  the  ad- 
vancing Austrians  were  already  between  him  and  his 
baffled  column.  His  imminent  danger  was  observed, 
the  soldiers  caught  the  alarm,  and  rushing  forwards, 


52  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1796. 

with  the  cry  "  Save  the  general,"  overthrew  the  Ger- 
mans with  irresistible  violence,  plucked  Napoleon  from 
the  bog,  and  carried  the  bridge.  This  was  the  first 
battle  of  Arcola. 

This  movement  revived  in  the  Austrian  lines  their 
terror  for  the  name  of  Bonaparte  ;  and  Alvinzi  saw  that 
no  lime  was  to  be  lost  if  he  meant  to  preserve  his  com- 
munication with  Davidowich.  He  abandoned  Caldiero, 
and  gaining  the  open  country  behind  Arcola,  robbed 
his  enemy  for  the  moment  of  the  advantage  which  his 
skill  had  gained.  Napoleon,  perceiving  that  Arcola 
was  no  longer  in  the  rear  of  his  enemy,  but  in  his  front, 
and  fearful  lest  Yaubois  might  be  overwhelmed  by  Da- 
vidowich, while  Alvinzi  remained  thus  between  him  and 
the  Brenta,  evacuated  Arcola,  and  retreated  to  Ronco. 

Next  morning,  having  ascertained  that  Davidowich 
had  not  been  engaged  with  Vaubois,  Napoleon  once 
more  advanced  upon  Arcola.  The  place  was  once 
more  defended  bravely,  and  once  more  it  was  carried. 
But  this  second  battle  of  Arcola  proved  no  more  deci- 
sive than  the  first ;  for  Alvinzi  still  contrived  to  main- 
tain his  main  force  unbroken  in  the  difficult  country 
behind ;  and  Bonaparte  once  more  retreated  to  Ronco. 

The  third  day  was  decisive.  On  this  occasion  also 
he  carried  Arcola ;  and.  by  employing  two  strata- 
gems, was  enabled  to  make  his  victory  effectual.  An 
ambuscade,  planted  among  some  willows,  suddenly 
opened  fire  on  a  column  of  Croats,  threw  them  into 
confusion,  and,  rushing  from  the  concealment,  crushed 
them  down  into  the  opposite  bog,  where  most  of  them 
died.  Napoleon  was  anxious  to  follow  up  this  success 
by  charging  the  Austrian  main  body  on  the  firm 
ground  behind  the  marshes.  But  it  was  no  easy 
matter  to  reach  them  there.  He  had,  in  various  quar- 
ters, portable  bridges  ready  for  crossing  the  ditches  and 
canals ;  but  the  enemy  stood  in  good  order,  and  three 
days'  hard  fighting  had  nearly  exhausted  his  own  men. 
In  one  of  his  conversations  at  St.  Helena,  he  thus  told 
the  story.  "  At  Arcola,  I  gained  the  battle  with 
twenty-five  horsemen.  I  perceived  the  critical  mo- 
ment of  lassitude  in  either  army — when  the  oldest  and 


1797.]  FIFTH    AUSTRIAN    ARMY.  53 

bravest  would  have  been  glad  to  be  in  their  tents.  All 
my  men  had  been  engaged.  Three  times  I  had  been 
obliged  to  re-establish  the  battle.  There  remained  to 
me  but  some  twenty-five  guides.  I  sent  them  round 
on  the  flank  of  the  enemy  with  three  trumpets,  bidding 
them  blow  loud  and  charge  furiously.  fierce  is  the 
French  cavalry,  was  the  cry ;  and  they  took  to  flight/' 
The  Austrians  doubted  not  that  Murat  and  all  the  horse 
had  forced  a  way  through  the  bogs  ;  and  at  that  mo- 
ment Bonaparte  commanding  a  general  assault  in  front, 
the  confusion  became  hopeless.  Alvinzi  retreated 
finally,  though  in  decent  order,  upon  Montebello. 

In  these  three  days  Bonaparte  lost  8000  men ;  the 
slaughter  among  his  opponents  must  have  been  terrible. 
Once  more  the  rapid  combinations  of  Napoleon  had 
rendered  all  the  efforts  of  the  Austrian  cabinet  abortive. 
For  two  months  after  the  last  day  of  Arcola,  he 
remained  the  undisturbed  master  of  Lombardy.  All 
that  his  enemy  could  show,  in  set-off  for  the  slaughter 
and  discomfiture  of  Alvinzi's  campaign,  was  that  they 
retained  possession  of  Bassano  and  Trent,  thus  inter- 
rupting Bonaparte's  access  to  the  Tyrol  and  Germany. 
This  advantage  was  not  trivial ;  but  it  had  been  dearly 
bought. 

A  fourth  army  had  been  baffled ;  but  the  resolution 
of  the  imperial  court  was  indomitable,  and  new  levies 
were  diligently  forwarded  to  reinforce  Alvinzi.  Once 
more  (January  7,  1797)  the  marshal  found  himself  at 
the  head  of  60,000  :  once  more  his  superiority  over 
Napoleon's  muster-roll  was  enormous  ;  and  once  more 
he  descended  from  the  mountains  with  the  hope  of  re- 
lieving Wurmser  and  reconquering  Lombardy.  The 
fifth  act  of  the  tragedy  was  yet  to  be  performed. 

We  may  here  pause,  to  notice  some  civil  events  of 
importance  which  occurred  ere  Alvinzi  made  his  final 
descent.  The  success  of  the  French  naturally  gave 
new  vigor  to  the  Italian  party  who,  chiefly  in  the  large 
towns,  were  hostile  to  Austria,  and  desirous  to  settle 
their  own  government  on  the  republican  model.  Na- 
poleon had  by  this  time  come  to  be  anything  but  a  ja- 
cobin in  his  political  sentiments  :  his  habits  of  com- 


54  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1797. 

mand ;  his  experience  of  the  narrow  and  ignorant 
management  of  the  directory ;  his  personal  intercourse 
with  the  ministers  of  sovereign  powers  ;  his  sense, 
daily  strengthened  by  events,  that  whatever  good  was 
done  in  Italy  was  owing  to  his  own  skill  and  the  devo- 
tion of  nis  army, — all  these  circumstances  conspired 
to  make  him  respect  himself  and  contemn  the  govern- 
ment, almost  in  despite  of  which  he  had  conquered 
kingdoms  for  France.  He  therefore  regarded  now 
with  little  sympathy  the  aspirations  after  republican 
organization,  which  he  had  himself  originally  stimu- 
lated among  the  northern  Italians.  He  knew,  how- 
ever, that  the  directory  had,  by  absurd  and  extrava- 
gant demands,  provoked  the  pope  to  break  off  the  treaty 
of  Bologna,  and  to  raise  his  army  to  the  number  of 
40,000, — that  Naples  had  every  disposition  to  back  his 
holiness  with  30,000  soldiers,  provided  any  reverse 
should  befall  the  French  in  Lombardy, — and,  finally, 
that  Alvinzi  was  rapidly  preparing  for  another  march, 
with  numbers  infinitely  superior  to  what  he  could  him- 
self extort  from  the  government  of  Paris  ;*  and  con- 
sidering these  circumstances,  he  felt  himself  compelled 
to  seek  strength  by  gratifying  his  Italian  friends.  Two 
republics  accordingly  were  organized  ;  the  Cispadane 
and  the  Transpadane — handmaids  rather  than  sisters 
of  the  great  French  democracy.  These  events  took 
place  during  the  period  of  military  inaction  which  fol- 
lowed the  victories  of  Arcola.  The  new  republics  has- 
tened to  repay  Napoleon's  favor  by  raising  troops,  and 
placed  at  his  disposal  a  force  which  he  considered  as 
sufficient  to  keep  the  papal  army  in  check  during  the 
expected  renewal  of  the  Austrian's  efforts. 

Alvinzi's  preparations  were,  in  the  mean  time,  rapidly 
advancing.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  Austrian  gentry 
was  effectually  stirred  by  the  apprehension  of  seeing 
the  conqueror  of  Italy  under  the  walls  of  Vienna,  and 
volunteer  corps  were  formed  everywhere  and  marched 
upon  the  frontier.  The  gallant  peasantry  of  the  Tyrol 
had-  already  displayed  their  zeal ;  nor  did  the  previous 

*  Bonaparte,  to  replace  all  his  losses  in  the  last  two  campaigns,  had 
received  only  7000  recruits. 


1797.]         THIRD    ADVANCE    OF    THE    IMPERIALISTS.  55 

reverses  of  Alvinzi  prevent  them  from  once  more 
crowding  to  his  standard.  Napoleon  proclaimed  that 
every  Tyrolese  caught  in  arms  should  be  shot  as  a 
brigand.  Alvinzi  replied,  that  for  every  murdered 
peasant  he  would  hang  a  French  prisoner  of  war : 
Bonaparte  rejoined,  that  the  first  execution  of  this 
threat  would  be  instantly  followed  by  the  gibbeting  of 
Alvinzi's  own  nephew,  who  was  in  his  hands.  These 
ferocious  threats  were  soon  laid  aside,  when  time  had 
been  given  for  reflection  ;  and  either  general  prepared 
to  carry  on  the  war  according  to  the  old  rules,  which 
are  at  least  sufficiently  severe. 

Alvinzi  sent  a  peasant  across  the  country  to  find  his 
way  if  possible  into  the  beleaguered  city  of  Mantua, 
and  give  Wurmser  notice  that  he  was  once  more  ready 
to  attempt  his  relief.  The  veteran  was  commanded 
to  make  what  diversion  he  could  in  favor  of  the  ap- 
proaching army ;  and  if  things  came  to  their  worst,  to 
fight  his  way  out  of  Mantua,  retire  on  Romagna,  and 
put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  papal  forces.  The  spy 
who  carried  these  tidings  was  intercepted,  and  dragged 
into  the  presence  of  Napoleon.  The  terrified  man 
confessed  that  he  had  swallowed  the  ball  of  wax  in 
which  the  despatch  was  wrapped.  His  stomach  was 
compelled  to  surrender  its  contents  ;  and  Bonaparte 
prepared  to  meet  his  enemy.  Leaving  Serrurier  to 
keep  up  the  blockade  of  Mantua,  he  hastened  to  re- 
sume his  central  position  at  Verona,  from  which  he 
could,  according  to  circumstances,  march  with  conve- 
nience on  whatever  line  the  Austrian  main  body  might 
choose  for  their  advance. 

The  imperialists,  as  if  determined  to  profit  by  no  les- 
son, once  more  descended  from  the  Tyrol  upon  two  dif- 
ferent lines  of  march ;  Alvinzi  himself  choosing  that 
of  the  upper  Adige ;  while  Provera  headed  a  second 
army,  with  orders  to  follow  the  Brenta,  and  then,  strik- 
ing across  to  the  lower  Adige,  join  the  marshal  before 
the  walls  of  Mantua.  Could  they  have  combined  their 
forces  thus,  and  delivered  Wurmser,  there  was  hardly 
a  doubt  that  the  French  must  retreat  before  so  vast  an 
army  as  would  then  have  faced  them.  But  Napoleon 


56  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  ["1797. 

was  destined  once  more  to  dissipate  all  these  victorious 
dreams.  He  had  posted  Joubert  at  Rivoli,  to  dispute 
that  important  position,  should  the  campaign  open  with 
an  attempt  to  force  it  by  Alvinzi ;  while  Augereau's 
division  was  to  watch  the  march  of  Provera.  He  re- 
mained himself  at  Verona  until  he  could  learn  with 
certainty  by  which  of  these  generals  the  first  grand  as- 
sault was  to  be  made.  On  the  evening  of  the  13th  of 
January,  tidings  were  brought  him  that  Joubert  had  all 
that  day  been  maintaining  his  ground  with  difficulty  ; 
and  he  instantly  hastened  to  what  now  appeared  to  be 
the  proper  scene  of  action  for  himself. 

Arriving  about  two  in  the  morning,  (by  another  of 
his  almost  incredible  forced  marches,)  on  the  heights 
of  Rivoli,  he,  the  moonlight  being  clear,  could  distin- 
guish five  separate  encampments,  with  innumerable 
watch-fires,  in  the  valley  below.  His  lieutenant,  con- 
founded by  the  display  of  this  gigantic  force,  was  in 
the  very  act  of  abandoning  the  position.  Napoleon 
instantly  checked  this  movement;  and  bringing  up 
more  battalions,  forced  the  Croats  from  an  eminence 
which  they  had  already  seized  on  the  first  symptoms 
of  the  French  retreat.  Napoleon's  keen  eye,  survey- 
ing the  position  of  the  five  encampments  below,  pene- 
trated the  secret  of  Alvinzi ;  namely,  that  his  artillery 
could  not  yet  have  arrived,  otherwise  he  would  not 
have  occupied  ground  so  distant  from  the  object  of  at- 
tack. He  concluded  that  the  Austrian  did  not  mean 
to  make  his  grand  assault  very  early  in  the  morning, 
and  resolved  to  force  him  to  anticipate  that  movement. 
For  this  purpose,  he  took  all  possible  pains  to  conceal 
his  own  arrival ;  and  prolonged,  by  a  series  of  petty 
manoeuvres,  the  enemy's  belief  that  he  had  to  do  with 
a  mere  outpost  of  the  PVench.  Alvinzi  swallowed  the 
deceit ;  and,  instead  of  advancing  on  some  great  and 
well-arranged  system,  suffered  his  several  columns  to 
endeavor  to  force  the  heights  by  insulated  movements, 
which  the  real  strength  of  Napoleon  easily  enabled  him 
to  baffle.  It  is  true  that  at  one  moment  the  bravery 
of  the  Germans  had  nearly  overthrown  the  French  on 
a  point  of  pre-eminent  importance ;  but  Napoleon  him 


1797.]  BATTLE    OF    RIVOLI.  51 

self,  galloping  to  the  spot,  roused  by  his  voice  and  ac- 
tion the  division  of  Massena,  who,  having  marched  all 
night,  had  lain  down  to  rest  in  the  extreme  of  weari- 
ness, and  seconded  by  them  and  their  gallant  general, 
swept  everything  before  him.  The  French  artillery 
was  in  position  :  the  Austrian  (according  to  Napoleon's 
shrewd  guess)  had  not  yet  come  up,  and  this  circum- 
stance decided  the  fortune  of  the  day.  The  cannonade 
from  the  heights,  backed  by  successive  charges  of  horse 
and  foot,  rendered  every  attempt  to  .storm  the  summit 
abortive ;  and  the  main  body  of  the  imperialists  was 
already  in  confusion,  and,  indeed,  in  flight,  ere  one  of 
their  divisions,  which  had  been  sent  round  to  outflank 
Bonaparte,  and  take  higher  ground  in  his  rear,  was  able 
to  execute  its  errand.  When,  accordingly,  this  divi- 
sion (that  of  Lusignan)  at  length  achieved  its  destined 
object — it  did  so,  not  to  complete  the  misery  of  a  routed, 
but  to  swell  the  prey  of  a  victorious,  enemy.  Instead 
of  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  Joubert,  Lusignan  found 
himself  insulated  from  Alvinzi,  and  forced  to  lay  down 
his  arms  to  Bonaparte.  "  Here  was  a  good  plan/'  said 
Napoleon,  "  but  these  Austrians  are  not  apt  to  calcu- 
late the  value  of  minutes."  Had  Lusignan  gained  the 
rear  of  the  French  an  hour  earlier,  while  the  contest 
was  still  hot  in  front  of  the  heights  of  Rivoli,  he  might 
have  made  the  14th  of  January  one  of  the  darkest,  in- 
stead of  one  of  the  brightest,  days  in  the  military  chron- 
icles of  Napoleon. 

He,  who  in  the  course  of  this  trying  day  had  had 
three  horses  shot  under  him,  hardly  waited  to  see  Lu- 
signan surrender,  and  to  intrust  his  friends,  Massena, 
Murat,  and  Joubert,  with  the  task  of  pursuing  the  fly- 
ing columns  of  Alvinzi.  He  had  heard,  during  the 
battle,  that  Provera  had  forced  his  way  to  the  Lago  di 
Guarda,  and  was  already,  by  means  of  boats,  in  com- 
munication with  Mantua.  The  force  of  Augereau 
having  proved  insufficient  to  oppose  the  march  of  the 
imperialists'  second  column,  it  was  high  time  that  Na- 
poleon himself  should  hurry  with  reinforcements  to  the 
lower  Adige,  and  prevent  Wurmser  from  either  hous- 
ing Provera,  or  joining  him  in  the  open  field,  and  so 
3* 


58  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1797. 

effecting  the  escape  of  his  own  still  formidable  garrison, 
whether  to  the  Tyrol  trt  the  Romagna. 

Having  marched  all  night  and  all  next  day,  Napoleon 
reached  the  vicinity  of  Mantua  late  on  the  15th.  He 
found  the  enemy  strongly  posted,  and  Serrurier's  situa- 
tion highly  critical.  A  regiment  of  Provera's  hussars 
had  but  a  few  hours  before  nearly  established  themselves 
in  the  suburb  of  St.  George.  This  danger  had  been 
avoided,  but  the  utmost  vigilance  was  necessary.  The 
French  general  himself  passed  the  night  in  walking 
about  the  outposts,  so  great  was  his  anxiety. 

At  one  of  these  he  found  a  grenadier  asleep  by  the 
root  of  a  tree  ;  and  taking  his  gun,  without  wakening 
him,  performed  a  sentinel's  duty  in  his  place  for  about 
half  an  hour ;  when  the  man,  starting  from  his  slum- 
bers, perceived  with  terror  and  despair  the  countenance 
and  occupation  of  his  general.  He  fell  on  his  knees 
before  him.  "  My  friend/'  said  Napoleon,  "  here  is 
your  musket.  You  had  fought  hard,  and  marched  long, 
and  your  sleep  is  excusable  :  but  a  moment's  inatten- 
tion might  at  present  ruin  the  army.  I  happened  to  be 
awake,  and  have  held  your  post  for  you.  You  will  be 
more  careful  another  time." 

It  is  needless  to  say  how  the  devotion  of  his  men  was 
nourished  by  such  anecdotes  as  these  flying  ever  and 
anon  from  column  to  column.  Next  morning  there 
ensued  a  hot  skirmish,  recorded  as  the  battle  of  St. 
George.  Provera  was  compelled  to  retreat ;  and 
Wurmser,  who  had  sallied  out  and  seized  the  causeway 
and  citadel  of  La  Favorita,  was  fain  to  retreat  within 
his  old  walls,  in  consequence  of  a  desperate  assault 
headed  by  Napoleon  in  person. 

Provera  now  found  himself  entirely  cut  off  from 
Alvinzi,  and  surrounded  with  the  army  of  the  French. 
He  and  five  thousand  men  laid  down  their  arms. 
Various  bodies  of  the  Austrian  force,  scattered  over 
the  country  between  the  Adige  and  the  Brenta,  follow- 
ed the  example  ;  and  the  brave  Wurmser,  whose  pro- 
visions were  by  this  time  exhausted,  found  himself  at 
.ength  under  the  necessity  of  sending  an  offer  of  capit- 
ulation. 


1797.]  SURRENDER    OP    MANTUA.  59 

General  Serrurier,  as  commander  of  the  blockade, 
received  Klenau,  the  bearer  of  Wurmser's  message, 
and  heard  him  state,  with  the  pardonable  artifice  usual 
on  such  occasions,  that  his  master  was  still  in  a  condi- 
tion to  hold  out  considerably  longer,  unless  honorable 
terms  were  granted.  Napoleon  had  hitherto  been 
seated  in  a  corner  of  the  tent  wrapped  in  his  cloak ;  he 
now  advanced  to  the  Austrian,  who  had  no  suspicion 
in  whose  presence  he  had  been  speaking,  and  taking 
his  pen,  wrote  down  the  conditions  which  he  was  wil- 
ling to  grant.  "  These,"  said  he,  "  are  the  terms  to 
which  your  general's  bravery  entitles  him.  He  may 
have  them  to-day ;  a  week,  a  month  hence,  he  shall 
have  no  worse.  Meantime,  tell  him  that  general  Bona- 
parte is  about  to  set  out  for  Rome."  The  envoy  now 
recognized  Napoleon ;  and  on  reading  the  paper,  per- 
ceived that  the  proposed  terms  were  more  liberal  than 
he  had  dared  to  hope  for.  The  capitulation  was  forth- 
with signed. 

On  the  2d  of  February,  Wurmser  and  his  garrison 
marched  out  of  Mantua ;  but  when  the  aged  chief  was 
to  surrender  his  sword,  he  found  only  Serrurier  ready 
to  receive  it.  Napoleon's  generosity,  in  avoiding  being 
present  personally  to  witness  the  humiliation  of  this 
distinguished  veteran,  forms  one  of  the  most  pleasing 
traits  in  his  story.  The  directory  had  urged  him  to 
far  different  conduct.  He  treated  their  suggestions 
with  scorn  :  "  I  have  granted  the  Austrian,"  he  wrote 
to  them,  "  such  terms  as  were,  in  my  judgment,  due  to 
a  brave  and  honorable  enemy,  and  to  the  dignity  of  the 
French  republic." 

The  surrender  of  Provera  and  Wurmser,  following 
the  total  rout  of  Alvinzi,  placed  Lombardy  wholly  in 
the  hands  of  Napoleon;  and  he  had  now  leisure  to 
avenge  himself  on  the  pope  for  those  hostile  demon- 
strations which,  as  yet,  he  had  been  contented  to  hold 
in  check.  The  terror  with  which  the  priestly  court  of 
the  Vatican  received  the  tidings  of  the  utter  destruc- 
tion of  the  Austrian  army,  and  of  the  irresistible  con- 
queror's march  southward,  did  not  prevent  the  papal 
troops  from  making  some  efforts  to  defend  the  territo- 


60  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1797. 

ries  of  the  holy  see.  General  Victor,  with  4,000  French, 
and  as  many  Lombards,  advanced  upon  the  route  of 
Imola.  A  papal  force,  in  numbers  about  equal,  lay 
encamped  on  the  river  Senio  in  front  of  that  town. 
Monks  with  crucifixes  in  their  hands  ran  through  the 
lines,  exciting  them  to  fight  bravely  for  their  country 
and  their  faith.  The  French  general,  by  a  rapid 
movement,  threw  his  horse  across  the  stream  a  league 
or  two  higher  up,  and  then  charged  through  the  Senio 
in  their  front.  The  resistance  was  brief.  The  pope's 
army,  composed  mostly  of  new  recruits,  retreated  in 
confusion.  Faenza  was  carried  by  the  bayonet.  Colli 
and  3000  more  laid  down  their  arms  :  and  the  strong 
town  of  Ancona  was  occupied.*  On  the  10th  of  Febru- 
ary the  French  entered  Loretto,  and  rifled  that  celebra- 
ted seat  of  superstition  of  whatever  treasures  it  still 
retained:  Victor  then  turned  westward  from  Ancona, 
with  the  design  to  unite  with  another  French  column 
which  had  advanced  into  the  papal  dominion  by  Peru- 
gia. 

The  panic  which  the  French  advance  had  by  this 
time  spread  was  such,  that  the  pope  had  no  hope  but  in 
submission.  The  peasants  lately  transformed  into  sol- 
diers abandoned  everywhere  their  arms,  and  fled  in 
straggling  groups  to  their  native  villages.  The  alarm 
in  Rome  itself  recalled  the  days  of  Alaric  the  Goth. 

The  conduct  of  Bonaparte  at  this  critical  moment 
was  worthy  of  that  good  sense  which  formed  the  origi- 
nal foundation  of  his  successes.  He  well  knew,  that 
of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Roman  territories,  the  class 
who  contemplated  his  approach  with  the  deepest  terror 
were  the  unfortunate  French  priests,  whom  the  revolu- 
tion had  made  exiles  from  their  native  soil.  It  is 

*  The  priests  had  an  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary  at  this  place,  which 
they  exhibited  to  the  people  in  the  act  of  shedding  tears,  the  more  to 
stimulate  them  against  the  impious  republicans.  On  entering  the  place, 
the  French  were  amused  with  discovering  the  machinery  by  whicr 
this  trick  had  been  performed :  the  Madonna's  tears  were  a  string  of 
glass  beads  which  flowed  by  clockwork,  within  a  shrine  which  the  wor- 
shippers were  too  respectful  to  approach  very  nearly.  Little  or-molu 
fountains  which  stream  on  the  same  principle,  are  now  common  orna- 
ments for  the  chimney-piece  in  Paris. 


1797.]  NEGOTIATION    WITH    THE    POPE.  61 

reported  that  one  of  these  unhappy  gentlemen  came 
forth  in  his  despair,  and  surrendering  himself  at  the 
French  head-quarters,  said  he  knew  his  fate  was  sealed, 
and  that  they  might  as  well  lead  him  at  once  to  the 
gallows.  Bonaparte  dismissed  this  person  with  court- 
esy, and  issued  a  proclamation  that  none  of  the  class 
should  be  molested ;  on  the  contrary,  allotting  to  each 
of  them  the  means  of  existence  in  monasteries,  wher- 
ever his  arms  were  or  should  be  predominant. 

This  conduct,  taken  together  with  other  circumstan- 
ces of  recent  occurrence,  was  well  calculated  to  nourish 
in  the  breast  of  the  pope  the  hope  that  the  victorious 
general  of  France  had,  by  this  time,  discarded  the  fero- 
cious hostility  of  the  revolutionary  government  against 
the  church  of  which  he  was  head.  He  hastened,  how- 
ever, to  open  a  negotiation,  and  Napoleon  received  his 
envoy,  not  merely  with  civility,  but  with  professions  of 
the  profoundest  personal  reverence  for  the  holy  father. 
The  treaty  of  Tollentino  (12  Feb.  1797)  followed.  By 
this  the  pope  conceded  formally  (for  the  first  time)  his 
ancient  territory  of  Avignon  ;  he  resigned  the  legations 
of  Ferrara,  Bologna,  and  Romagna,  and  the  port  of 
Ancona ;  agreed  to  pay  about  a  million  and  a  half 
sterling,  and  to  execute  to  the  utmost  the  provision  of 
Bologna  with  respect  to  works  of  art.  On  these 
terms  Pius  was  to  remain  nominal  master  of  some 
shreds  of  the  patrimony  of  St.  Peter. 

By  these  successes  Napoleon  was  now  master  of  all 
northern  Italy,  with  the  exception  of  the  territories  of 
Venice,  which  government  was  ready  at  any  moment 
to  join  Austria  in  ridding  Italy  of  the  French.  Bona- 
parte heard  without  surprise  that  the  doge  had  been 
raising  new  levies,  and  that  the  senate  could  still  com- 
mand an  army  of  50,000,  composed  chiefly  of  fierce  and 
semi-barbarous  Sclavonian  mercenaries.  He  demand- 
ed what  these  demonstrations  meant,  and  was  answered, 
that  Venice  had  no  desire  but  to  maintain  a  perfect 
neutrality.  Meantime,  there  was  not  wanting  a  strong 
party,  throughout  the  Venetian  territories  of  the  main 
land,  who  were  anxious  to  emulate  the  revolutionary 
movements  of  the  great  cities  of  Lombardy,  and  to 


62  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1797 

emancipate  themselves  from  the  yoke  of  the  Venetian 
oligarchy,  as  their  neighbors  had  done  by  that  of  the 
Austrian  crown.  Insurrections  occurred  at  Bergamo, 
Brescia,  and  elsewhere  ;  and  Bonaparte,  though  little 
disposed  to  give  the  inhabitants  of  these  places  the 
boon  they  were  in  quest  of,  saw  and  profited  by  the  op- 
portunity of  dividing,  by  their  means,  the  resources, 
and  shaking  the  confidence,  of  the  senate. 

More  than  a  month  had  now  elapsed  since  Alvinzi's 
defeat  at  Rivoli ;  in  nine  days  the  war  with  the  pope 
had  reached  its  close  ;  and,  having  left  some  garrisons 
in  the  towns  on  the  Adige,  to  watch  the  neutrality  of 
Venice,  Napoleon  hastened  to  carry  the  war  into  the 
hereditary  dominions  of  Austria.  Twenty  thousand 
fresh  troops  had  recently  joined  his  victorious  standard 
from  France ;  and,  at  the  head  of  perhaps  a  larger  force 
than  he  had  ever  before  mustered,  he  proceeded  to  the 
frontier  of  the  Frioul,  where,  according  to  his  informa- 
tion, the  main  army  of  Austria,  recruited  once  more  to 
its  original  strength,  was  preparing  to  open  a  sixth 
campaign — under  the  orders,  not  of  Alvinzi,  but  of  a 
general  young  like  himself,  and  hitherto  eminently  suc- 
cessful— the  archduke  Charles  of  Austria  ;  a  prince  on 
whose  high  talents  the  last  hopes  of  the  empire  seemed 
to  repose. 

To  give  the  details  of  the  sixth  campaign,  which  now 
commenced,  would  be  to  repeat  the  story  which  has 
been  already  five  times  told.  The  archduke,  fettered 
by  the  aulic  council  of  Vienna,  saw  himself  compelled 
to  execute  a  plan  which  he  had  discrimination  enough 
to  condemn.  The  Austrian  army  once  more  commen- 
ced operations  on  a  double  basis — one  great  division  on 
the  Tyrolese  frontier,  and  a  greater  under  the  arch- 
duke himself  on  the  Friulese ;  and  Napoleon — who 
had,  even  when  acting  on  the  defensive,  been  able,  by 
the  vivacity  of  his  movements,  to  assume  the  superi- 
ority on  whatever  point  he  chose  to  select — was  not 
likely  to  strike  his  blows  with  less  skill  and  vigor,  now 
that  his  numbers,  and  the  quiescence  of  Italy  behind 
him,  permitted  him  to  assume  the  offensive. 

Bonaparte   found   the  archduke   posted  behind   the 


1797.]  ARCHDUKE  CHARLES.  63 

river  Tagliamento,  in  front  of  the  rugged  Carinthian 
mountains,  which  guard  the  passage  in  that  quarter 
from  Italy  to  Germany.  Detaching  Massena  to  the 
Piave,  where  the  Austrian  division  of  Lusignan  were 
in  observation,  he  himself  determined  to  charge  the 
archduke  in  front.  Massena  was  successful  in  driving 
Lusignan  before  him  as  far  as  Belluno,  (where  a  rear- 
guard of  500  surrendered,)  and  thus  turned  the  Austri- 
an flank.  Bonaparte  then  attempted  and  effected  the 
passage  of  the  Tagliamento.  After  a  great  and  formal 
display  of  his  forces,  which  was  met  by  similar  demon- 
strations on  the  Austrian  side  of  the  river,  Bonaparte 
suddenly  broke  up  his  line  and  retreated.  The  arch- 
duke, knowing  that  the  French  had  been  marching  all 
the  night  before,  concluded  that  the  general  wished  to 
defer  the  battle  till  another  day ;  and  in  like  manner 
withdrew  to  his  camp.  About  two  hours  after,  Napo- 
leon rushed  with  his  whole  army,  who  had  merely  lain 
down  in  ranks,  upon  the  margin  of  the  Tagliamento,  no 
longer  adequately  guarded — and  had  forded  the  stream 
ere  the  Austrian  line  of  battle  could  be  formed.  In  the 
action  which  followed  (March  12,)  the  troops  of  the 
archduke  displayed  much  gallantry,  but  every  effort  to 
dislodge  Napoleon  failed  ;  at  length  retreat  was  judged 
necessary.  The  French  followed  hard  behind.  They 
stormed  Gradisca,  where  they  made  5000  prisoners  ; 
and — the  archduke  pursuing  his  retreat — occupied  in 
the  course  of  a  few  days  Trieste,  Fiume,  and  every 
strong  hold  in  Carinthia.  In  the  course  of  a  campaign 
of  twenty  days,  the  Austrians  fought  Bonaparte  ten 
times,  but  the  overthrow  on  the  Tagliamento  was  never 
recovered  ;  and  the  archduke,  after  defending  Styria 
inch  by  inch,  as  he  had  the  Fiume  and  Carinthia,  at 
length  adopted  the  resolution  of  reaching  Vienna  by 
forced  marches,  there  to  gather  round  him  whatever 
force  the  loyalty  of  his  nation  could  muster,  and  make 
a  last  stand  beneath  the  walls  of  the  capital. 

This  plan,  at  first  sight  the  mere  dictate  of  despair, 
was  in  truth  that  of  a  wise  and  prudent  general.  The 
archduke  had  received  intelligence  from  two  quarters 
of  events  highly  unfavorable  to  the  French.  General 


64  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1797. 

Laudon,  the  Austrian  commander  on  the  Tyrol  fron- 
tier, had  descended  thence  with  forces  sufficient  to 
overwhelm  Bonaparte's  lieutenants  on  the  upper  Adige, 
and  was  already  in  possession  of  the  whole  Tyrol,  and 
of  several  of  the  Lombard  towns.  Meanwhile,  the 
Venetian  senate,  on  hearing  of  these  Austrian  successes, 
had  plucked  up  courage  to  throw  aside  their  flimsy 
neutrality,  and  not  only  declared  war  against  France, 
but  encouraged  their  partisans  in  Verona  to  open  the 
contest  with  an  inhuman  massacre  of  the  French 
wounded  in  the  hospitals  of  that  city.  The  vindictive 
Italians,  wherever  the  French  party  was  inferior  in 
numbers,  resorted  to  similar  atrocities.  The  few  troops 
left  in  Lombardy  by  Napoleon  were  obliged  to  shut 
themselves  up  in  garrisons,  which  the  insurgent  inhabi- 
tants of  the  neighboring  districts  invested.  The  Vene- 
tian army  passed  the  frontier,  and,  in  effect,  Bonaparte's 
means  of  deriving  supplies  of  any  kind  from  his  rear 
were  for  the  time  wholly  cut  off.  It  was  not  wonder- 
ful that  the  archduke  should,  under  such  circumstances, 
anticipate  great  advantage  from  enticing  the  French 
army  into  the  heart  of  Germany ;  where,  divided  by 
many  wide  provinces  and  mighty  mountains  and  rivers 
from  France,  and  with  Italy  once  more  in  arms  behind 
them,  they  should  have  to  abide  the  encounter  of  an 
imperial  army,  animated  by  all  the  best  motives  that 
can  lend  vigor  to  the  arm  of  man. 

The  terror  of  the  aulic  council  stepped  in  to  prevent 
the  archduke  from  reaping  either  the  credit  or  the  dis- 
grace of  his  movement.  Vienna  was  panic-struck  on 
hearing  that  Bonaparte  had  stormed  the  passes  of  the 
Julian  Alps;  the  royal  family  sent  their  treasures  into 
Hungary  ;  the  middle  ranks,  whose  interest  is  always 
peace,  became  clamorous  for  some  termination  to  a 
war,  which  during  six  years  had  been  so  unfortunate  ; 
and  the  archduke  was  ordered  to  avail  himself  of 
the  first  pretence  which  circumstances  might  afford  for 
the  opening  of  a  negotiation. 

The  archduke  had  already,  acting  on  his  own  judg- 
ment and  feelings,  dismissed  such  an  occasion  with 
civility  and  with  coldness.  Napoleon  had  addressed  a 


1797.]       TREATY  OF  LEOBEN VENICE.  65 

letter  to  his  imperial  highness  from  Clagenfurt,  in 
which  he  called  on  him,  as  a  brother  soldier,  to 
consider  the  certain  miseries  and  the  doubtful  suc- 
cesses of  war,  and  put  an  end  to  the  campaign  by  a  fair 
and  equitable  treaty.  The  archduke  replied,  that  he 
regarded  with  the  highest  esteem  the  personal  charac- 
ter of  his  correspondent,  but  that  the  Austrian  govern- 
ment had  committed  to  his  trust  the  guidance  of  a 
particular  army,  not  the  diplomatic  business  of  the  em- 
pire. The  prince,  on  receiving  these  new  instructions 
from  Vienna,  perceived,  however  reluctantly,  that  the 
line  of  his  duty  was  altered ;  and  the  result  was  a  series 
of  negotiations — which  ended  in  the  provisional  treaty 
of  Leoben  signed  April  18,  1797. 

No  sooner  was  this  negotiation  in  a  fair  train  than 
Napoleon,  abandoning  for  the  moment  the  details  of  its 
management  to  inferior  diplomatists,  hastened  to  re- 
trace his  steps,  and  pour  the  full  storm  of  his  wrath  on 
the  Venetians.  The  doge  and  his  senate,  whose  only 
hopes  had  rested  on  the  successes  of  Austria  on  the 
Adige,  heard  with  utter  despair  that  the  archduke  had 
shared  the  fate  of  Beaulieu,  of  Wurmser,  and  of  Al- 
vinzi,  and  that  the  preliminaries  of  peace  were  actually 
signed.  The  rapidity  of  Bonaparte's  return  gave 
them  no  breathing-time.  They  hastened  to  send  offers 
of  submission,  and  their  messengers  were  received 
with  anger  and  contempt.  "  French  blood  has  been 
treacherously  shed,"  said  Napoleon ;  "  if  you  could 
offer  me  the  treasures  of  Peru,  if  you  cover  your  whole 
dominion  with  gold — the  atonement  would  be  insuf- 
ficient— the  lion  of  St.  Mark*  must  lick  the  dust/' 
These  tidings  came  like  a  sentence  of  death  upon  the 
devoted  senate.  Their  deliberations  were  unceasing ; 
their  schemes  innumerable ;  their  hearts  divided  and 
unnerved.  Those  secret  chambers,  from  which  that 
haughty  oligarchy  had  for  so  many  ages  excluded  every 
eye  and  every  voice  but  their  own,  were  invaded 
with  impunity  by  strange-faced  men,  who  boldly  criti- 
cized their  measures  and  heaped  new  terrors  on  their 
heads,  by  announcing  that  the  mass  of  the  people  had 

*  The  armorial  bearing  of  Venice. 


66  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1797. 

ceased  to  consider  the  endurance  of  their  sway  as 
synonymous  with  the  prosperity  of  Venice.  Popular 
tumults  filled  the  streets  and  canals ;  universal  confu- 
sion prevailed,  in  the  midst  of  which  Bonaparte  ap- 
peared on  the  opposite  coast  of  the  Lagoon.  Some  of 
his  troops  were  already  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  when 
on  the  31st  of  May  a  hasty  message  reached  him,  an- 
nouncing that  the  senate  submitted  wholly.  He  exact- 
ed severe  revenge.  The  leaders  who  had  aided  the 
Lombard  insurgents  were  delivered  to  him.  The 
oligarchy  ceased  to  rule,  and  a  democratical  govern- 
ment was  formed,  provisionally,  on  the  model  of  France. 
Venice  consented  to  surrender  to  the  victor  large 
territories  on  the  main  land  of  Italy  ;  five  ships  of  war  ; 
3,000,000  francs  in  gold,  and  as  many  more  in  naval 
stores ;  twenty  of  the  best  pictures,  and  500  manu- 
scripts. Lastly,  the  troops  of  the  conqueror  were 
to  occupy  the  capital  until  tranquillity  was  established. 

In  their  last  agony,  the  Venetian  senate  made  a  vain 
effort  to  secure  the  personal  protection  of  the  general, 
by  offering  him  a  purse  of  seven  millions  of  francs.  He 
rejected  this  with  scorn.  He  had  already  treated 
in  the  same  style  a  bribe  of  four  millions,  tendered  on 
the  part  of  the  duke  of  Modena.  The  friend  employed 
to  conduct  the  business  reminded  him  of  the  proverbial 
ingratitude  of  all  popular  governments,  and  of  the 
little  attention  which  the  directory  had  hitherto  paid 
to  his  personal  interests.  "  That  is  all  true  enough," 
said  Napoleon,  "  but  for  four  millions  I  will  not  place 
myself  in  the  power  of  this  duke."  Austria  herself  did 
not  hesitate  to  tamper  in  the  same  manner,  though  far 
more  magnificently,  as  became  her  resources,  with  his 
republican  virtue.  He  was  offered  an  independent 
German  principality  for  himself  and  his  heirs  "I 
thank  the  emperor,"  he  answered,  "  but  if  greatness  is 
to  be  mine,  it  shall  come  from  France." 

The  Venetian  senate  were  guilty,  in  their  mortal 
struggle,  of  another  and  a  more  inexcusable  piece  of 
meanness.  They  seized  the  person  of  count  D'En- 
traigues,  a  French  emigrant,  who  h^d  been  living  in 
their  city  as  agent  for  the  exiled  house  of  Bourbon ;  and 


1797.]  PICHEGRU THE    DIRECTORY.  67 

surrendered  him  and  all  his  papers  to  the  victorious 
general.  Bonaparte  discovered  among  these  docu- 
ments ample  evidence  that  Pichegru,  the  French  gene- 
ral on  the  Rhine,  and  universally  honored  as  the  con- 
queror of  Holland,  had  some  time  ere  this  hearkened 
to  the  proposals  of  the  Bourbon  princes,  and,  among 
other  efforts  in  favor  of  the  royal  cause,  not  hesitated 
even  to  misconduct  his  military  movements  with  a  view 
to  the  downfall  of  the  government  which  had  intrusted 
him  with  his  command. 

This  was  a  secret,  the  importance  of  which  Napoleon 
could  well  appreciate  ;  and  he  forthwith  communicated 
it  to  the  directory  at  Paris. 

The  events  of  the  last  twelve  months  in  France  had 
made  Pichegru  a  person  of  still  higher  importance  than 
when  he  commenced  his  intrigues  with  the  Bourbons 
as  general  on  the  Rhine.  Some  obscure  doubts  of  his 
fidelity,  or  the  usual  policy  of  the  directory,  which  ren- 
dered them  averse  (wherever  they  could  help  it)  to  con- 
tinue any  one  general  very  long  at  the  head  of  one 
army,  had  induced  them  to  displace  Pichegru,  and  ap- 
point Hoche,  a  tried  republican,  in  his  room.  Pichegru, 
on  returning  to  France,  became  a  member  of  the  coun- 
cil of  five  hundred,  and  (the  royalist  party  having  at 
this  season  recovered  all  but  a  preponderance)  was,  on 
the  meeting  of  the  chambers,  called  to  the  chair  of 
hat  in  which  he  had  his  place. 

The  five  directors  had  by  their  conduct  done  every- 
tning  to  undermine  their  own  authority,  and  now  on 
the  verge  of  ruin  they  were  forced  to  invoke  the  aid 
of  Napoleon.  His  acts  had  of  late  excited  powerfully 
their  resentment,  but  their  imminent  danger  now  forced 
them  to  overlook  these.  He  had  taken  upon  himself 
the  whole  responsibility  of  the  preliminary  treaty  of 
Leoben,  although  the  French  government  had  sent 
general  Clarke  into  Italy  for  the  express  purpose  of 
controlling  him,  and  acting  as  his  equal  at  least  in  the 
negotiation.  A  clause  in  that  treaty,  by  which  Man- 
tua, the  strongest  fortress  in  Italy,  and  now,  in  conse- 
quence of  Napoleon's  own  skill  and  zeal,  rendered 
stronger  than  it  ever  had  been,  was  to  be  surrendered 


68  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1797 

back  to  Austria,  was  judged  necessary  at  the  time  by 
the  general,  in  order  to  obtain  from  the  emperor  the 
boundary  of  the  Rhine  and  the  cession  of  Belgium. 
But  the  directory  thought  the  conqueror  underrated  the 
advantages  of  his  own  position  and  theirs  in  consenting 
to  it,  and  but  for  Carnot  would  never  have  ratified  it. 
At  the  other  side  of  the  Italian  peninsula,  again,  the 
victorious  general,  immediately  after  the  fall  of  Venice, 
had  to  superintend  the  revolution  of  Genoa ;  in  which 
great  city  the  democratic  party  availed  themselves  of 
the  temper  and  events  of  the  time,  to  emancipate 
themselves  also  from  their  hereditary  oligarchy.  They 
would  fain  have  excluded  the  nobility  from  all  share  in 
the  remodelled  government ;  and  Napoleon  rebuked 
and  discountenanced  this  attempt,  in  terms  little  likely 
to  be  heard  with  approbation  by  the  "  Sires  of  the 
Louxembourg."  He  told  the  Genoese,  that  to  exclude 
the  nobles  was  in  itself  as  unjust  as  unwise,  and  that 
they  ought  to  be  grateful  for  the  means  of  reorganiz- 
ing their  constitution,  without  passing  like  France 
through  the  terrible  ordeal  of  a  revolution.  The  rulers 
of  France  might  be  excused  for  asking  at  this  mo- 
ment— "  Does  the  lecturer  of  the  Ligurian  republic 
mean  to  be  our  Washington,  our  Monk,  or  our  Crom- 
well ?" 

He,  however,  received  with  alacrity  the  call  of  the 
trembling  directory.  He  harangued  his  soldiery,  and 
made  himself  secure  of  their  readiness  to  act  as  he 
might  choose  for  them.  He  not  only  sent  his  lieuten- 
ant Augereau  to  Paris,  to  command  the  national  guard 
for  the  government,  should  they  find  it  necessary  to 
appeal  immediately  to  force,  but  announced  that  he 
was  himself  prepared  to  "pass  the  Rubicon/'  and 
march  to  their  assistance,  with  15,000  of  his  best 
troops. 

The  directory,  meanwhile,  had  in  their  extremity 
ventured  to  disregard  the  law  against  bringing  regular 
troops  within  a  certain  distance  of  the  capital,  and 
summoned  Hoche  to  bring  a  corps  of  his  Rhenish 
army  for  their  instant  protection. 

It  was  by  this  means  that  the  new  revolution,  as  it 


1797.]  MONTEBELLO.  69 

may  be  called,  of  the  18th  Fructidor  was  effected. 
On  that  day  (Sept.  4,  1797)  the  majority  of  the  direc- 
tory, marching  their  army  into  Paris,  dethroned  their 
two  opposition  colleagues.  Pichegru  and  the  other 
royalists  of  note  in  the  assemblies,  to  the  number  of 
more  than  150,  were  arrested  and  sent  into  exile. 
The  government,  for  the  moment,  recovered  the 
semblance  of  security ;  and  Bonaparte  heard,  with 
little  satisfaction,  that  they  had  been  able  to  accom- 
plish their  immediate  object  without  the  intervention 
of  his  personal  appearance  on  the  scene.  He  remon- 
strated, moreover,  against  the  manner  in  which  they 
had  followed  up  their  success.  According  to  him, 
they  ought  to  have  executed  Pichegru  and  a  few  ring- 
leaders, and  set  an  example  of  moderation,  by  sparing 
all  those  whose  royalism  admitted  of  any  doubt,  or  if 
it  was  manifest,  was  of  secondary  importance.  It 
would  have  been  hard  for  the  directory  at  this  time  to 
have  pleased  Bonaparte,  or  for  Bonaparte  to  have  en- 
tirely satisfied  them ;  but  neither  party  made  the  effort. 

The  fall  of  Venice,  however,  gave  Napoleon  the 
means,  which  he  was  not  disposed  to  neglect,  of  bring- 
ing his  treaty  with  Austria  to  a  more  satisfactory 
conclusion  than  had  been  indicated  in  the  preliminaries 
of  Leoben. 

After  settling  the  affairs  of  Venice,  and  establishing 
the  new  Ligurian  republic,  the  general  took  up  his 
residence  at  the  noble  castle  of  Montebello,  near  Milan. 
Here  his  wife,  who,  though  they  had  been  married  in 
March,  1796,  was  still  a  bride,  and  with  whom,  during 
the  intervening  eventful  months,  he  had  kept  up  a 
correspondence  full  of  the  fervor  of  love,  had  at 
length  rejoined  him.  Josephine's  manners  were  wor- 
thy, by  universal  admission,  of  the  highest  rank ;  and 
the  elegance  with  which  she  did  the  honors  of  the 
castle,  filled  the  ministers  and  princes,  who  were  con- 
tinually to  be  seen  in  its  precincts,  with  admiration. 
While  Napoleon  conducted  his  negotiations  with  as 
much  firmness  and  decision  as  had  marked  him  in  the 
field,  it  was  her  care  that  nature  and  art  should  lend  all 
their  graces  to  what  the  Italians  soon  learned  to  call 


70  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1797. 

the  court  of  Montebello.  Whatever  talent  Milan  con- 
tained was  pressed  into  her  service.  Music  and  dance, 
and  festival  upon  festival,  seemed  to  occupy  every  hour. 
The  beautiful  lakes  of  Lombardy  were  covered  with 
gay  flotillas  ;  and  the  voluptuous  retreats  around  their 
shores  received  in  succession  new  life  and  splendor 
from  the  presence  of  Napoleon,  Josephine,  and  'the 
brilliant  circle  amid  whom  they  were  rehearsing  the 
imperial  parts  that  destiny  had  in  reserve  for  them. 
Montebello  was  the  centre  from  which  Bonaparte,  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  this  summer,  negotiated  with 
the  emperor,  controlled  all  Italy,  and  overawed  the 
Louxembourg. 

The  final  settlement  with  the  emperor's  commis- 
sioners, though  long  delayed,  was  at  length  completed, 
and  the  treaty  of  Campo-Forrnio  was  signed  on  the 
3d  of  October,  1797.  By  this  act  the  emperor  yielded 
to  France  Flanders  and  the  boundary  of  the  Rhine,  in- 
cluding the  great  fortress  of  Mentz.  The  various  new 
republics  of  Lombardy  were  united,  and  recognized 
under  the  general  name  of  the  Cisapline  Republic.  To 
indemnify  Austria  for  the  loss  of  those  territories,  the 
fall  of  Venice  afforded  new  means — of  which  Napoleon 
did  not  hesitate  to  propose,  nor  Austria  to  accept  the 
use.  France  and  Austria  agreed  to  effect  a  division  of 
the  whole  territories  of  the  ancient  republic.  Venice 
herself,  and  her  Italian  provinces,  were  handed  over  to 
the  emperor  in  lieu  of  his  lost  Lombardy ;  and  the 
French  assumed  the  sovereignty  of  the  Ionian  islands 
and  Dalmatia. 

In  concluding,  and  in  celebrating  the  conclusion  of 
his  treaty,  Napoleon's  proud  and  fiery  temperament 
twice  shone  out.  Cobentzel,  the  emperor's  chief  envoy,, 
had  set  down,  as  the  first  article,  "  The  emperor  rec- 
ognizes the  French  republic."  "  Efface  that,"  said 
Napoleon,  sternly,  "  it  is  as  clear  as  that  the  sun  is  in 
heaven.  Woe  to  them  that  cannot  distinguish  the  light 
of  either  !"  At  the  TE  DEUM,  after  the  proclamation 
of  the  peace,  the  imperial  envoy  would  have  taken  the 
place  prepared  for  Bonaparte,  which  was  the  most 
eminent  in  the  church.  The  haughty  soldier  seized 


1797.]          DEPARTS  FOR  RASTADT.  71 

his  arm  and  drew  him  back.  "Had  your  imperial 
master  himself  been  here,"  said  he,  "  I  should  not  have 
forgotten  that  in  my  person  the  dignity  of  France  is 
represented." 

Various  minor  arrangements  remained  to  be  cori- 
sidered,  and  a  congress  of  all  the  German  powers  being 
summoned  to  meet  for  that  purpose  at  Rastadt,  Na- 
poleon received  the  orders  of  the  directory  to  appear 
there,  and  perfect  his  work  in  the  character  of  am- 
bassador of  France.  He  took  an  affecting  leave  of  his 
soldiery,  published  a  temperate  and  manly  address  to 
the  Cisalpine  republic,  and  proceeded,  by'  way  of 
Switzerland,  to  the  execution  of  his  duty.  He  carried 
with  him  the  unbounded  love  and  devotion  of  one  of 
the  finest  armies  that  ever  the  world  had  seen  ;  and  the 
attachment,  hardly  less  energetic,  of  all  those  classes  of 
society  throughout  Italy,  who  flattered  themselves  with 
the  hope  that  the  Cisalpine  republic,  the  creature  of  his 
hands,  would  in  time  prepare  the  way  for,  and  ulti- 
mately merge  in,  a  republican  constitution  common  to 
the  whole  Italian  people.  With  what  hopes  or  fears  as 
to  his  own  future  fortunes,  he  abandoned  the  scene 
and  the  companions  of  his  giory,  the  reader  must  form 
his  own  opinion. 


CHAPTEK  III. 

NAPOLEON  AT  RASTADT — HE  ARRIVES  AT  PARIS — His  RECEPTION  BT 
THE  DIRECTORY — He  is  appointed  to  command  the  Army  for  the 
Invasion  of  England — He  recommends  an  Expedition  to  Egypt — 
Voyage  to  Egypt — Malta  surrendered — Arrival  in  Egypt — The 
March  up  the  Nile — Battle  of  the  "Pyramids — Cairo  surrenders — 
Battle  of  Aboukir — Bonaparte's  Administration  in  Egypt — Arma- 
ments of  the  Porte — Bonaparte  at  Suez — Siege  of  Acre — Retreat  to 
Egypt — Defeat  of  the  Turks  at  Aboukir — Bonaparte  embarks  for 
France — Retrospect — Bonaparte  in  Paris — Revolution  of  the  18th 
Brumaire — The  Provisional  Consulate — A.  D.  1798 — 1799. 

NAPOLEON  was  received  by  the  assembled  ministers 
at  Rastadt  with  the  respect  due  to  the  extraordinary 
talents  which  he  had  already  displayed  in  negotiation 
as  well  as  in  war.  But  he  stayed  among  them  only  two 
or  three  days,  for  he  perceived  that  the  multiplicity  of 
minor  arrangements  to  be  discussed  and  settled,  must, 
if  he  seriously  entered  upon  them,  involve  the  necessity 
of  a  long-protracted  residence  at  Rastadt ;  and  he  had 
many  reasons  for  desiring  to  be  quickly  in  Paris.  His 
personal  relations  with  the  directory  were  of  a  very 
doubtful  kind,  and  he  earnestly  wished  to  study  with  his 
own  eyes  the  position  in  which  the  government  stood 
towards  the  various  orders  of  society  in  the  all-influen- 
tial capital.  He  abandoned  the  conduct  of  the  diplo- 
matic business  to  his  colleagues,  and  reached  Paris  at 
the  beginning  of  December.  Nor  was  he  without  a 
feasible  pretext  for  this  rapidity.  On  the  2d  of  Octo- 
ber, the  directory  had  announced  to  the  French  people 
their  purpose  to  carry  the  war  with  the  English  into 
England  itself;  the  immediate  organization  of  a  great 
invading  army  ;  and  their  design  to  place  it  under  the 
command  of"  citizen  general  Bonaparte." 

On  quitting  Rastadt  Napoleon  was  careful  to  resume, 


1798.]  PARIS.  73 

in  every  particular,  the  appearance  of  a  private  citizen. 
Reaching  Paris,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  small 
modest  house  that  he  had  occupied  ere  he  set  out  for 
Italy  in  the. Rue  Chanter  eine,  which,  about  this  time, 
in  compliment  to  its  illustrious  inhabitant,  received 
from  the  municipality  the  new  name  of  Rue  de  la  Vic- 
toire.  Here  he  resumed  with  his  plain  clothes  his  fa- 
vorite studies  and  pursuits,  and,  apparently  contented 
with  the  society  of  his  private  friends,  seemed  to  avoid, 
as  carefully  as  others  in  his  situation  might  have 
courted,  the  honors  of  popular  distinction  and  applause. 
It  was  not  immediately  known  that  he  was  in  Paris, 
and  when  he  walked  the  streets  his  person  was  rarely 
recognized  by  the  multitude.  His  mode  of  life  was 
necessarily  somewhat  different  from  what  it  had  been 
when  he  was  both  poor  and  obscure ;  his  society  was 
of  course  courted  in  the  highest  circles.,  and  he  from 
time  to  time  appeared  in  them,  and  received  company 
at  home  with  the  elegance  of  hospitality  over  which 
Josephine  was  so  well  qualified  to  preside.  But  policy, 
as  well  as  pride,  moved  him  to  shun  notoriety.  Before 
he  could  act  again  he  had  much  to  observe ;  and  he 
knew  himself  too  well  to  be  flattered  by  the  stare  either 
of  mobs  or  of  saloons. 

In  his  intercourse  with  society  at  this  period,  he 
was,  for  the  most  part,  remarkable  for  the  cold  reserve 
of  his  manners.  He  had  the  appearance  of  one  too 
much  occupied  with  serious  designs,  to  be  able  to  relax 
at  will  into  the  easy  play  of  ordinary  conversation.  If 
his  eye  was  on  every  man,  he  well  knew  that  every 
man's  eye  was  upon  him ;  nor,  perhaps,  could  he  have 
chosen  a  better  method  (had  this  been  his  sole  object) 
for  prolonging  and  strengthening  the  impression  his 
greatness  was  calculated  to  create,  than  this  very  exhi- 
bition of  indifference.  He  did  not  suffer  his  person  to 
be  familiarized  out  of  reverence.  When  he  did  ap- 
pear, it  was  not  the  ball  or  bon  mot  of  the  evening  be- 
fore,  that  he  recalled  : — he  was  still,  wherever  he  went, 
the  Bonaparte  of  Lodi,  and  Arcola,  and  Rivoli.  His 
military  bluntness  disdained  to  disguise  itself  amid 
those  circles  where  n  meaner  parvenu  would  have  been 
I) 


74  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1798. 

most  ambitious  to  shine.  The  celebrated  daughter  of 
Necker  made  many  efforts  to  catch  his  fancy,  and  en- 
list him  among  the  votaries  of  her  wit,  which  then  gave 
law  in  Paris.  "  Whom/'  said  she,  half  wearied  with 
his  chilliness,  "  whom  do  you  consider  as  the  greatest 
of  women  ?"  "  Her,  madam,"  he  answered,  "  who  has 
borne  the  greatest  number  of  children."  From  this 
hour  he  had  Madame  de  Stael  for  his  enemy ;  and  yet, 
such  are  the  inconsistencies  of  human  nature,  no  man 
was  more  sensitive  than  he  to  the  assaults  of  a  species 
of  enemy  whom  he  thus  scorned  to  conciliate.  Through- 
out his  Italian  campaigns — as  consul — as  emperor — 
and  down  to  the  last  hours  of  the  exile  which  termina- 
ted his  life — Bonaparte  suffered  himself  to  be  annoyed 
by  sarcasms  and  pamphlets  as  keenly  and  constantly 
as  if  he  had  been  a  poetaster. 

The  haughtiness,  for  such  it  was  considered,  of  his 
behavior  in  the  high  society  of  the  capital,  was  of  a 
piece  with  what  he  had  already  manifested  in  the 
camp.  In  the  course  of  his  first  campaigns,  his  officers, 
even  of  the  highest  rank,  became  sensible,  by  degrees, 
to  a  total  change  of  demeanor.  An  old  acquaintance 
of  the  Toulon  period,  joining  the  army,  was  about  to 
throw  himself  into  the  general's  arms  with  the  warmth 
of  former  familiarity.  Napoleon's  cold  eye  checked 
him  ;  and  he  perceived  in  a  moment  how  he  had  alter- 
ed with  his  elevation.  Bonaparte  had  always,  on  the 
other  hand,  affected  much  familiarity  with  the  common 
soldiery.  He  disdained  not  on  occasion  to  share  the 
ration  or  to  taste  the  flask  of  a  sentinel ;  and  the 
French  private,  often  as  intelligent  as  those  whom  for- 
tune has  placed  above  him,  used  to  address  the  great 
general  with  even  more  frankness  than  his  own  cap- 
tain. Napoleon,  in  one  of  his  Italian  despatches,  men- 
tions to  the  directory  the  pleasure  which  he  often  de- 
rived from  the  conversation  of  the  men.  "  But  yes- 
terday," says  he,  "  a  common  trooper  addressed  me  as 
I  was  riding,  and  told  me  he  thought  he  could  tell  me 
the  movement  which  ought  to  be  adopted.  I  listened 
to  him,  and  heard  him  detail  some  operations  on  which 
I  had  actually  resolved  but  a  little  before."  It  has  been 


1798.]  PARIS.  75 

noticed  (perhaps  by  over-nice  speculators)  as  a  part 
of  the  same  system,  that  Napoleon,  on  his  return  to 
Paris,  continued  to  employ  the  same  trades-people, 
.  however  inferior  in  their  several  crafts,  who  had  served 
him  in  the  days  of  his  obscurity.* 

The  first  public  appearance  of  Bonaparte  occurred 
(January  2,  1798)  when  the  treaty  of  Campo-Formio 
was  to  be  formally  presented  to  the  directory.  The 
great  court  of  the  Louxembourg  was  roofed  over  with 
flags,  an  immense  concourse,  including  all  the  members 
of  the  government  and  of  the  two  legislative  bodies, 
expected  the  victorious  negotiator;  and  when  he  ap- 
peared, followed  by  his  staff,  and  surrounded  on  all 
hands  with  the  trophies  of  his  -glorious  campaigns,  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  mighty  multitude,  to  the  far  greater 
part  of  which  his  person  was,  up  to  the  moment,  en- 
tirely unknown,  outleaped  all  bounds,  and  filled  the.  al- 
ready jealous  hearts  of  the  directors  with  dark  pre- 
sentiments. They  well  knew  that  the  soldiery  returning 
from  Italy  had  sung  and  said  through  every  village, 
that  it  was  high  time  to  get  rid  of  the  lawyers,  and 
make  "  the  little  corporal"  king.  With  uneasy  hearts 
did  they  hear  what  seemed  too  like  an  echo  of  this  cry, 
from  the  assembled  leaders  of  opinion  in  Paris  and  in 
France.  The  voice  of  Napoleon  was  for  the  first  time 
heard  in  an  energetic  speech,  ascribing  all  the  glories 
that  had  been  achieved  to  the  zeal  of  the  French  sol- 
diery— for  "  the  glorious  constitution  of  the  year 
THREE" — the  same  glorious  constitution  which,  in  the 
year  eight,  was  to  receive  the  coup  de  grace  from  his 
own  hand ;  and  Barras,  as  presiding  director,  answer- 
ing that  "  Nature  had  exhausted  all  her  powers  in  the 

*  A  silversmith,  who  had  given  him  credit  when  he  set  out  to  Italy 
for  a  dressing-case  worth  501.,  was  rewarded  with  all  the  business  which 
the  recommendation  of  his  now  illustrious  debtor  could  bring  to  him  ; 
and,  being  clever  in  his  trade,  became  ultimately,  under  the  patronage 
of  the  imperial  household,  one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  of  Paris.  A 
little  hatter,  and  a  cobbler,  who  had  served  Bonaparte  when  a  subal- 
tern, might  have  risen  in  the  same  manner,  had  their  skill  equalled  the 
silversmith's.  Not  even  Napoleon's  example  could  persuade  the  Pa- 
risians to  wear  ill-shaped  hats  and  clumsy  boots  ;  but  he,  in  his  own 
person,  adhered,  to  the  last,  to  his  original  connection  with  these  poor 
artisans. 


76  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [179S 

creation  of  a  Bonaparte,"  awoke  a  new  thunder  of  un- 
welcome applauses. 

Carnot  had  been  exiled  after  the  18th  Fructidor,  and 
was  at  this  time  actually  believed  to  be  dead.  The 
institute  nominated  Bonaparte  to  fill  his  place  ;  and  he 
was  received  by  this  learned  body  with  enthusiasm  not 
inferior  to  that  of  the  Louxembourg.  He  thenceforth 
adopted,  on  all  public  occasions,  the  costume  of  this 
academy  ;  and,  laying  aside  as  far  as  was  possible  the 
insignia  of  his  military  rank,  seemed  to  desire  only  the 
distinction  of  being  classed  with  those  whose  scientific 
attainments  had  done  honor  to  their  country.  In  all 
this  he  acted  on  calculation.  "  I  well  knew/'  said  he 
at  St.  Helena,  "  that  there  was  not  a  drummer  in  the 
army  but  would  respect  me  the  more  for  believing  me 
to  be  not  a  mere  soldier." 

Some  time  before  he  left  Italy,  a  motion  had  been 
made  in  one  of  the  chambers  for  rewarding  him  with 
a  grant  of  the  estate  of  Chambord,  and  lost,  owing 
solely  to  the  jealousy  of  the  directory.  This  opposition 
was  on  their  part  unjust  and  unwise,  and  extremely 
unpopular  also ;  for  it  was  known  to  all  men  that  the 
general  might  easily  have  enriched  himself  during  his 
wonderful  campaigns,  and  had,  in  fact,  brought  with 
him  to  the  Rue  de  la  Victoire  no  more  than  100,000 
crowns,  saved  from  the  fair  allowances  of  his  rank. 
No  one  can  doubt  how  Napoleon  regarded  this  part  of 
their  conduct.  Every  day  confirmed  them  in  their 
jealousy;  nor  did  he  take  much  pains  on  the  other 
hand  to  conceal  his  feelings  towards  them.  On  many 
occasions  they  were  willing  to  make  use  of  him,  al- 
though they  dreaded  in  so  doing  to  furnish  him  with 
new  proofs  of  the  vast  superiority  which  he  had  reach- 
ed in  public  opinion  above  themselves ;  and  he  was, 
on  his  part,  chary  of  acceding  to  any  of  their  proposals. 

On  the  21st  of  January,  the  anniversary  of  the  death 
of  Louis  XVI.  was  to  be  celebrated,  according  to  cus- 
tom, as  a  great  festival  of  the  republican  calendar ;  and, 
conscious  how  distasteful  the  observance  had  by  this 
time  become  to  all  persons  capable  of  reflection,  the 
government  would 'fain  have  diverted  attention  from 


1798.]  •          WAR    WITH    ENGLAND.  77 

themselves,  by  assigning  a  prominent  part  in  the  cere- 
monial to  him,  on  whom,  as  they  knew,  all  eyes  were 
sure  to  be  fixed  whenever  he  made  his  appearance. 
Napoleon  penetrated  their  motives.  He  remonstrated 
against  the  ceremony  altogether,  as  perpetuating  the 
memory  of  a  deed,  perhaps  unavoidable,  but  not  the 
less  to  be  regretted.  He  told  them  that  it  was  unwor- 
thy of  a  great  republic  to  triumph,  year  after  year,  in 
the  shedding  of  an  individual  enemy's  blood.  He  knew 
how  odious  the  barbarous  ceremony  was,  and  long 
urged  the  impolicy  of  its  observance.  But  through  the 
urgent  representations  of  the  directory,  he  was  at  length 
persuaded  to  appear  in  it  as  a  private  member  of  the 
institute,  along  with  the  rest  of  that  association.  His 
refusal  to  be  there  as  the  great  general  of  the  republic 
annoyed  the  timid  directory  ;  and  yet,  being  recognized 
in  his  civic  dress,  and  pointed  out  to  new  myriads  of 
observers,  the  effect  which  the  government  had  desired 
to  produce  was  brought  about  in  spite  of  all  Bonaparte's 
reluctance.  The  purpose  of  the  assemblage  was  al- 
most forgotten ;  the  clamors  of  the  people  converted  it 
into  another  fete  for  Napoleon. 

It  has  already  been  said,  that  as  early  as  October, 
1797,  the  directory  announced  their  intention  of  com- 
mitting an  army,  destined  for  the  invasion  of  England, 
to  the  conqueror  of  Italy.  He  wholly  disapproved  of 
their  rashness  in  breaking  off  the  negotiations  of  the 
preceding  summer  with  the  English  envoy,  lord  Malms- 
bury,  and,  above  all,  of  the  abruptness  of  that  proce- 
dure. But  the  die  was  cast ;  and  he  willingly  accepted 
the  appointment  now  pressed  upon  him  by  the  govern- 
ment, who,  in  truth,  were  anxious  about  nothing  so 
much  as  to  occupy  his  mind  with  the  matters  of  his 
profession,  and  so  prevent  him  from  taking  a  prominent 
part  in  the  civil  business  of  the  state.  Solely  owing  to 
his  celebrity,  two  of  his  brothers  were  already  distin- 
guished members  of  the  legislative  bodies  ;  and  there 
could  be  no  doubt,  that  the  gates  of  either  would  fly 
open  for  his  own  admission,  if  he  chose  it,  on  the  next 
election. 

Whatever  views  of  ulterior  ambition  might  have 


78  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.    ,      [1798. 

opened  themselves  to  Napoleon  at  this  period,  he  weL 
knew  that  the  hour  was  not  yet  come,  in  which  he 
could  serve  his  purposes  better  than  by  the  pursuit  of 
his  military  career.  Civil  matters  were  not  yet  ready 
for  his  interference,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  fully  satis- 
fied of  this,  he  entered  without  further  objections  upon 
the  new  field  thus  opened  before  him. 

He  proceeded  to  make  a  regular  survey  of  the  French 
coast  opposite  to  England,  with  the  view  of  improving 
'ts  fortifications,  and  of  selecting  the  best  points  for 
*m narking  the,  invading  force.  For  this  service  he 
was  eminently  qualified  ;  and  many  local  improvements 
o*  great  importance,  long  afterward  effected,  were  first 
suggested  by  him  at  this  period.  But  the  result  of  his 
examination  was  a  perfect  conviction  that  the  time  was 
nc.i  yet  come  for  invading  England.  He  perceived 
that  extensive  and  tedious  preparations  were  indispen- 
sable ere  the  French  shipping  on  that  coast  could  be 
put  into  a  condition  for  such  an  attempt :  and  the 
burst  of  loyalty  which  the  threat  of  invasion  called 
forth  in  every  part  of  Britain — the  devotion  with  which 
all  classes  of  the  people  answered  the  appeal  of  the 
government — the  immense  extent  to  which  the  regular 
and  volunteer  forces  were  increased  everywhere—- 
these circumstances  produced  a  strong  impression  on 
his  not  less  calculating  than  enterprising  mind.  He 
had  himself,  in  the  course  of  the  preceding  autumn, 
suggested  to  the  minister  for  foreign  affairs,  the  cele- 
orated  Talleyrand,  the  propriety  of  making  an  effort 
against  England  in  another  quarter  of  the  world :  of 
seizing  Malta,  proceeding  to  occupy  Egypt,  and  therein 

f  lining  at  once  a  territory  capable  of  supplying  to 
ranee  the  loss  of  her  West  Indian  colonies,  and  the 
means  of  annoying  Great  Britain  in  her  Indian  trade 
and  empire.  To  this  scheme  he  now  recurred,  and  the 
directory,  influenced  by  his  representations  and  opinion, 
at  length  gave  it  their  consent.  The  Egyptian  expe- 
dition was  determined  on ;  but  kept  strictly  secret. 
The  attention  of  England  was  still  riveted  on  the  coasts 
of  Normandy  and  Picardy,  between  which  and  Paris 
Bonaparte  studiously  divided  his  presence — while  it 


1798.]  EGYPTIAN    EXPEDITION.  79 

was  on  the  borders  of  the  Mediterranean  that  the  ships 
and  the  troops  really  destined  for  action  were  assem- 
bling. 

Bonaparte,  Jiaving  rifled  to  such  purpose  the  cabi- 
nets and  galleries  of  the  Italian  princes,  was  resolved 
not  to  lose  the  opportunity  of  appropriating  some  of 
the  richest  antiquarian  treasures  of  Egypt ;  nor  was  it 
likely  that  he  should  undervalue  the  opportunities 
which  his  expedition  might  afford  of  extending  the 
boundaries  of  science,  by  careful  observation  of  natu- 
ral phenomena.  He  drew  together  therefore  a  body  of 
eminent  artists  and  connoisseurs,  under  the  direction 
of  Monge,  who  had  managed  his  Italian  collections : 
it  was  perhaps  the  first  time  that  a  troop  of  savans 
(there  were  100  of  them)  formed  part  of  the  staff  of 
an  invading-  army. 

The  various  squadrons  of  the  French  fleet  were  now 
assembled  at  Toulon  in  readiness  for  departure.  As 
soon  as  Bonaparte  arrived  he  called  his  army  together, 
and  harangued  them.  "  Rome,"  he  said,  "  combated 
Carthage  by  sea  as  well  as  land ;  and  England  was  the 
Carthage  of  France. — He  was  come  to  lead  them,  in 
the  name  of  the  goddess  of  Liberty,  across  mighty 
seas,  and  into  remote  regions,  where  their  valor  might 
achieve  such  glory  and  such  wealth  as  could  never  be 
looked  for  beneath  the  cold  heavens  of  the  west.  The 
meanest  of  his  soldiers  should  receive  seven  acres  of 
land  ;" — where  he  mentioned  not.  His  promises  had 
not  hitherto  been  vain.  The  soldiery  heard  him  with 
joy,  and  prepared  to  obey  with  alacrity. 

The  English  government,  meanwhile,  although  they 
had  no  suspicion  of  the  real  destination  of  the  arma- 
ment, had  not  failed  to  observe  what  was  passing  in 
Toulon.  They  probably  believed  that  the  ships  there 
assembled  were  meant  to  take  part  in  the  great  scheme 
of  the  invasion  of  England.  However  this  might 
have  been,  they  had  sent  a  considerable  reinforcement 
to  Nelson,  who  then  commanded  on  the  Mediterranean 
station ;  and  he,  at  the  moment  when  Bonaparte 
reached  Toulon,  was  cruising  within  sight  of  the  port. 
Napoleon  well  knew,  that  to  embark  in  the  presence 


80  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1798. 

of  Nelson  would  be  to  rush  into  the  jaws  of  rum  ;  and 
waited  until  some  accident  should  relieve  him  from  this 
terrible  watcher.  On  the  evening  of  the  19th  May, 
fortune  favored  him.  A  violent  gale  drove  the  Eng- 
lish off  the  coast,  and  disabled  some  ships  so  much 
that  Nelson  was  obliged  to  go  into  the  harbors  of  Sar 
dinia  to  have  them  repaired.  The  French  general  it. 
stantly  commanded  the  embarkation  of  all  his  troops  ; 
and  as  the  last  of  them  got  on  board,  the  sun  rose  on 
the  mighty  armament :  it  was  one  of  those  dazzling 
suns  which  the  soldiery  delighted  afterward  to  call 
"  the  suns  of  Napoleon." 

Seldom  have  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  wit- 
nessed a  nobler  spectacle.  That  unclouded  sun  rose 
on  a  semicircle  of  vessels,  extending  in  all  to  not  less 
than  six  leagues  :  thirteen  ships  of  the  line  and  four- 
teen frigates  (under  the  command  of  admiral  Brueyes), 
and  400  transports.  They  carried  40,000  picked  sol- 
diers, and  officers  whose  names  were  only  inferior  to 
that  of  the  general-in-chief ; — of  the  men,  as  well  as 
of  their  leaders,  the  far  greater  part  already  accustom- 
ed to  follow  Napoleon,  and  to  consider  his  presence  as 
the  pledge  of  victory. 

The  fleet  was  reinforced,  ere  it  had  proceed  far  on 
its  way,  by  general  Dessaix,  and  his  division  from  Ita- 
ly ;  and,  having  prosperous  winds,  appeared  on  the 
10th  of  June  off  Malta.  The  knights  of  St.  John 
were  no  longer  those  hardy  and  devout  soldiers  of  the 
Cross,  who  for  ages  inspired  terror  among  the  Mussul- 
mans, and  were  considered  as  the  heroic  outguards  of 
Christendom.  Sunk  in  indolence  and  pleasure,  these 
inheritors  of  a  glorious  name  hardly  attempted  for  a 
moment  to  defend  their  all  but  impregnable  island, 
against  the  fleet  which  covered  the  seas  around  them. 
Bonaparte  is  said  to  have  tampered  successfully  before- 
hand with  some  of  the  French  knights.  Division  of 
counsels  prevailed ;  and  in  confusion  and  panic  the 
gates  were  thrown  open.  As  Napoleon  was  entering 
between  the  huge  rocky  barriers  of  La  Valletta,  Caflfa- 
relli  said  to  him,  "  It  is  well  there  was  some  one  within 


1798.]  CANDIA EGYPT.  81 

to  open  the  door  for  us ;  had  there  been  no  garrison  at 
all,  the  business  might  have  been  less  easy." 

From  Malta — where  he  left  a  detachment  of  troops 
to  guard  an  acquisition  which  he  expected  to  find  emi- 
nently useful  in  his  future  communications  with  France 
— Bonaparte  steered  eastward ;  but,  after  some  days, 
ran  upon  the  coast  of  Candia  to  take  in  water  and 
fresh  provisions,  and,  by  thus  casually  diverging  from 
his  course,  escaped  imminent  danger.  For  Nelson, 
soon  returning  to  Toulon,  missed  the  shipping  which 
had  so  lately  crowded  the  harbor,  and  ascertaining 
that  they  had  not  sailed  towards  the  Atlantic,  divined 
on  the  instant  that  their  mark  must  be  Egypt.  His 
fleet  was  inferior  in  numbers,  but  he  pursued  without 
hesitation  ;  and  taking  the  straight  line,  arrived  off  the 
Nile  before  any  of  the  French  ships  had  appeared 
there.  Bonaparte,  on  hearing  off  Candia  that  the 
English  fleet  was  already  in  the  Levant,  directed  ad- 
miral Brueyes,  to  steer  not  for  Alexandria,  but  for  an- 
other point  of  the  coast  of  Africa.  Nelson,  on  the 
other  hand,  not  finding  the  enemy  where  he  had  ex- 
pected, turned  back  and  traversed  the  sea  in  quest  of 
him,  to  Rhodes — and  thence  to  Syracuse.  It  is  sup- 
posed, that  on  the  20th  of  June  the  fleets,  almost 
touched  each  other ;  but  that  the  thickness  of  the 
haze,  and  Nelson's  want  of  frigates,  prevented  an  en- 
counter. Napoleon,  reconnoitring  the  coast,  ascertain- 
ed that  there  was  no  longer  any  fleet  off  Alexandria, 
and  in  effect  reached  his  destination  undisturbed  on 
the  1st  of  July.  At  that  moment  a  strange  sail  ap- 
peared on  the  verge  of  the  horizon.  "  Fortune,"  ex- 
claimed he,  "  I  ask  but  six  hours  more — wilt  thou  re- 
fuse them  ?"  The  vessels  proved  not  to  be  English  ; 
and  the  disembarkation  immediately  took  place,  in 
spite  of  a  violent  gale  and  a  tremendous  surf.  They 
landed  at  Marabout,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Alexan- 
dria— having  lost  many  by  drowning. 

Egypt,  a  province  of  the  Ottoman  empire,  then  at 

peace  with  France,  was,  of  course,  wholly  unprepared 

for  this  invasion.     The  Turks,  however,  mustered  what 

rorce  they  could,  and  shutting  the  gates  of  the  city 

6 


82  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1798. 

held  out  until  the  French  forced  their  way  through  the 
old  crumbling  walls,  and  it  was  no  longer  possible  to 
resist  at  once"  superior  numbers  and  European  disci- 
pline. Two  hundred  French  died  in  the  assault ;  the 
Turkish  loss  was  much  greater:  and  Bonaparte,  after 
taking  possession,  abandoned  the  place  for  three  hours 
to  the  unbridled  license  of  military  execution  and 
rapine — an  atrocity  for  which  there  was  only  one 
pretext ;  namely,  the  urgent  necessity  of  striking  awe 
and  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  population,  and  so 
preventing  them  from  obeying  the  call  of  their  military 
chieftains,  to  take  arms  in  defence  of  the  soil. 

Napoleon's  conduct  on  this  occasion  was  strangely 
contrasted  with  the  tenor  .of  his  General  Order  to  the 
army  before  their  disembarkation.  "  The  people,"  he 
then  said,  "  with  whom  we  are  about  to  live,  are  Ma- 
hometans :  the  first  article  of  their  faith  is,  There  is  no 
God  but  God,  and  Mahomet  is  his  prophet.  Do  not 
contradict  them :  deal  with  them  as  you  have  done 
with  the  Jews  and  the  Italians.  Respect  their  muftis 
and  imans,  as  you  have  done  by  the  rabbins  and  the 
bishops  elsewhere.  .  .  .The  Roman  legions  protected 
all  religions.  You  will  find  here  usages  different  from 
those  of  Europe :  you  must  accustom  yourselves  to 
them.  These  people  treat  their  women  differently 
from  us  ;  but  in  all  countries,  he  who  violates  is  a 
monster ;  pillage  enriches  only  a  few  ;  it  dishonors 
us,  destroys  our  resources,  and  makes  those  enemies 
whom  it  is  our  interest  to  have  for  friends."  Such 
was  the  text  of  Napoleon's  General  Order  ;  and  such 
the  comment  of  his  first  actions. 

To  the  people  of  Egypt,  meanwhile,  he  addressed 
a  proclamation  in  these  words.  "  They  will  tell  you 
that  I  come  to  destroy  your  religion;  believe  them  not : 
answer  that  I  am  come  to  restore  your  rights,  to  punish 
the  usurpers,  and  that  I  respect,  more  than  the  Mame- 
lukes ever  did.  God,  his  prophet,  and  the  Koran. 
Sheiks  and  imans,  assure  the  people  that  we  also  are 
true  Mussulmans.  Is  it  not  we  that  have  ruined  the 
pope  and  the  knights  of  Malta?  Thrice  happy  they 


1798.]  EGYPT.  83 

who  shall  be  with  us !     Woe  to  them  that  take  up  arms 
for  the  Mamelukes  !  they  shall  perish !" 

Napoleon  left  Alexandria  on  the  7th  of  July,  being 
anxious  to  force  the  Mamelukes  to  an  encounter  with 
the  least  possible  delay.  He  had  a  small  flotilla  on 
the  Nile,  which  served  to  guard  his  right  flank :  the 
infantry  marched  over  burning  sand  at  some  distance 
from  the  river.  The  miseries  of  this  progress  were 
extreme.  The  air  is  crowded  with  pestiferous  insects ; 
the  glare  of  the  sand  weakens  most  men's*  eyes,  and 
blinds  many  ;  water  is  scarce  and  bad ;  and  the  coun- 
try had  been  swept  clear  of  man,  and  beast,  and  vege- 
table. Under  this  torture  even  the  gallant  spirits  of 
such  men  as  Murat  and  Lannes  could  not  sustain 
themselves: — they  trod  their  cockades  in  the  sand. 
The  common  soldiers  asked,  with  angry  murmurs,  if  it 
was  here  the  general  designed  to  give  them  their  seven 
acres?  He  alone  was  superior  to  all  evils.  Such 
was  the  happy  temperament  of  his  frame,  that — while 
others,  after  having  rid  them  of  their  usual  dress,  were 
*till  suffused  in  perpetual  floods  of  perspiration,  and  the 
lardiest  found  it  necessary  to  give  two  or  three  hours 
<n  the  middle  of  the  day  to  sleep — Napoleon  altered 
nothing ;  wore  his  uniform  buttoned  up  as  at  Paris ; 
never  showed  one  bead  of  sweat  on  his  brow;  nor 
thought  of  repose  except  to  lie  down  in  his  cloak  the 
last  at  night,  and  start  up  the  first  in  the  morning.  It 
required,  however,  all  that  this  example  of  endurance, 
and  the  influence  of  character  could  do,  to  prevent 
the  army  from  breaking  into  open  mutiny. 

For  some  days  no  enemy  appeared  ;  but  at  length, 
scattered  groups  of  horsemen  began  to  hover  on  their 
flanks ;  and  the  soldier  who  quitted  the  line  but  for  a 
moment,  was  surrounded  and  put  to  death  ere  his  com- 
rades could  rescue  him.  The  rapidity  with  which  the 
Mamelukes  rode,  and  their  skill  as  marksmen,  were 
seconded  by  the  character  of  the  soil  and  the  atmos- 
phere ;  the  least  motion  or  breath  of  wind  being  suffi- 
cient to  raise  a  cloud  of  sand,  through  which  nothing 
could  be  discerned  accurately,  while  the  constant  glare 
of  the  sun  dazzled  almost  to  blindness.  It  was  at 


84  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1798. 

Chebreis  that  the  Mamelukes  first  attacked  in  a  con- 
siderable body  ;  and  at  the  same  moment  the  French 
flotilla  was  assaulted.  In  either  case  the  superiority 
of  European  discipline  was  made  manifest ;  but  in 
either  case  also  the  assailants  were  able  to  retreat 
without  much  loss.  Meantime,  the  hardships  of  the 
march  continued  ;  the  irregular  attacks  of  the  enemy 
were  daily  becoming  more  numerous;  so  that  the 
troops,  continually  halting  and  forming  into  squares  to 
receive  the*  charge  of  the  cavalry  by  day,  and  forced  to 
keep  up  great  watches  at  night,  experience  the  ex- 
tremes of  fatigue  as  well  as  of  privation. 

On  the  21st  of  July,  the  army  came  within  sight  of 
the  pyramids,  which,  but  for  the  regularity  of  the 
outline,  might  have  been  taken  for  a  distant  ridge  of 
rocky  mountains.  While  every  eye  was  fixed  on 
these  hoary  monuments  of  the  past,  they  gained  the 
brow  of  a  gentle  eminence,  and  saw  at  length  spread 
out  before  them  the  vast  army  of  the  beys,  their  right 
posted  on  an  intrenched  camp  by  the  Nile,  their  centre 
and  left  composed  of  that  brilliant  cavalry  with  which 
they  were  by  this  time  acquainted.  Napoleon,  riding 
forwards  to  reconnoitre,  perceived  (what  escaped  the 
observation  of  all  his  staff)  that  the  guns  on  the  in- 
trenched camp  were  not  provided  with  carriages  ;  and 
instantly  decided  on  his  plan  of  attack.  He  prepared 
to  throw  his  force  on  the  left,  where  the  guns  could  not 
be  available.  Mourad  Bey,  who  commanded  in  chief, 
speedily  penetrated  his  design ;  and  the  Mamelukes  ad- 
vanced gallantly  to  the  encounter.  "  Soldiers,"  said 
Napoleon,  "  from  the  summit  of  yonder  pyramids  forty 
ages  behold  you ;"  and  the  battle  began. 

The  French  formed  into  separate  squares,  and 
awaited  the  assault  of  the  Mamelukes.  These  came 
on  with  impetuous  speed  and  wild  cries,  and  practised 
every  means  to  force  their  passage  into  the  serried 
ranks  of  their  new  opponents.  They  rushed  on  the 
line  of  bayonets,  backed  their  horses  upon  them,  and  at 
last,  maddened  by  the  firmness  which  they  could 
not  shake,  dashed  their  pistols  and  carbines  into  the 
faces  of  the  men.  Nothing  could  move  the  French  : 


1798.]  NELSON.  85 

the  bayonet  and  the  continued  roll  of  musketry  by  de- 
grees thinned  the  host  around  them  ;  and  Bonaparte  at 
last  advanced.  Such  were  the  confusion  and  terror  of 
the  enemy  when  he  came  near  the  camp,  that  they 
abandoned  their  works,  and  flung  themselves  by  hun- 
dreds into  the  Nile.  The  carnage  was  prodigious. 
Multitudes  more  were  drowned.  Mourad  and  a  rem- 
nant of  his  Mamelukes  retreated  on  Upper  Egypt. 
Cairo  surrendered :  Lower  Egypt  was  entirely  con- 
quered. 

The  French  now  had  recompense  for  the  toils  they 
had  undergone.  The  bodies  of  the  slain  and  drowned 
Mamelukes  were  rifled ;  and,  it  being  the  custom  for 
those  warriors  to  carry  their  wealth  about  them,  a 
single  corpse  often  made  a  soldier's  fortune.  In  the 
deserted  harams  of  the  chiefs  at  Cairo,  in  the  neighbor- 
ing villages,  men  at  length  found  proof  that  "  eastern 
luxury"  is  no  empty  name.  The  savans  ransacked  the 
monuments  of  antiquity,  and  formed  collections  which 
will  ever  reflect  honor  on  their  zeal  and  skill. 

While  Napoleon  was  thus  pursuing  his  career  of 
victory  in  the  interior,  Nelson,  having  scoured  the 
Mediterranean  in  quest  of  him,  once  more  returned  to 
the  coast  of  Egypt.  He  arrived  within  sight  of  the 
towers  of  Alexandria  on  the  1st  of  August — ten  days 
after  the  battle  of  the  pyramids  had  been  fought  and 
won — and  found  Brueyes  still  at  his  moorings  in  the 
bay  of  Aboukir.  Nothing  seems  to  be  more  clear  than 
that  the  French  admiral  ought  to  have  made  the  best 
of  his  way  to  France,  or  at  least  to  Malta,  the  moment 
the  army  had  taken  possession  of  Alexandria.  Napo- 
leon constantly  asserted  that  he  had  urged  Brueyes  to 
do  so.  Brueyes  himself  lived  not  to  give  his  testimony ; 
but  Gantheaume,  the  vice-admiral,  always  persisted  in 
stating,  in  direct  contradiction  to  Bonaparte,  that  the 
fleet  remained  by  the  general's  express  desire.  The 
testimonies  being  thus  balanced,  it  is  necessary  to  con- 
sult other  materials  of  judgment ;  and  it  appears  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  doubt,  that  the  French  admiral, — 
who,  it  is  acknowledged  on  all  hands,  dreaded  the  en- 
counter of  Nelson, — remained  off*  Alexandria  for  the 


86  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1798. 

sole  purpose  of  aiding  the  motions  of*  the  army  and  in 
consequence  of  what  he  at  least  conceived  to  be  the 
wish  of  its  general.  However  this  might  have  been, 
the  results  of  his  delay  were  terrible. 

The  French  fleet  were  moored  in  a  semicircle  in  the 
bay  of  Aboukir,  so  near  the  shore,  that,  as  their  admiral 
believed,  it  was  impossible  for  the  enemy  to  come  be- 
tween him  and  the  land.  He  expected,  therefore,  to 
be  attacked  on  one  side  only,  and  thought  himself  sure 
that  the  English  could  not  renew  their  favorite  man- 
oeuvre of  breaking  the  line,  and  so  at  once  dividing  the 
opposed  fleet,  and  placing  the  ships  individually  between 
two  fires.  But  Nelson  daringly  judged  that  his  ships 
might  force  a  passage  between  the  French  and  the 
land ;  and,  succeeding  in  this  attempt,  instantly  brought 
on  the  conflict,  in  the  same  dreaded  form  which  Bru- 
eyes  had  believed  impossible.  The  details  of  this  great 
seafight  belong  to  the  history  of  the  English  hero.  The 
battle  was  obstinate — it  lasted  more  than  twenty  hours, 
including  the  whole  night.  A  solitary  pause  occurred 
at  midnight,  when  the  French  admiral's  ship  L'Orient, 
a  superb  vessel  of  120  guns,  took  fire,  and  blew  up  in 
the  heart  of  the  conflicting  squadrons,  with  an  explo- 
sion that  for  a  moment  silenced  rage  in  awe.  The  ad- 
miral himself  perished.  Next  morning,  two  shattered 
ships,  out  of  all  the  French  fleet,  with  difficulty  made 
their  escape  to  the  open  sea.  The  rest  of  all  that  mag- 
nificent array  had  been  utterly  destroyed,  or  remained 
in  the  hands  of  the  English. 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Aboukir,  in  which  Nelson 
achieved,  with  a  force  much  inferior  to  the  French, 
what  he  himself  called  "  not  a  victory,  but  a  conquest." 
Three  thousand  French  seamen  reached  the  shore  :  a 
greater  number  died.  Had  the  English  admiral  pos- 
sessed frigates,  he  must  have  forced  his  way  into  the 
harbor  of  Alexandria,  and  seized  the  whole  stores  and 
transports  of  the  army.  As  things  were,  the  best  fleet 
of  the  republic  had  ceased  to  be ;  the  blockade  of  the 
coast  was  established  :  and  the  invader,  completely 
isolated  from  France,  must  be  content  to  rely  wholly 
on  his  own  arms  and  the  resources  of  Egypt. 


1798.]  ADMINISTRATION    OF    EGYPT.  87 

On  hearing  of  the  battle  of  Aboukir  a  solitary  sigh 
escaped  from  Napoleon.  "  To  France,"  said  he,  "  the 
fates  have  decreed  the  empire  of  the  land — to  England 
that  of  the  sea." 

He  endured  this  great  calamity  with  the  equanimity 
of  a  heroic  spirit.  He  gave  orders  that  the  seamen 
landed  at  Alexandria  should  be  formed  into  a  marine 
brigade,  and  thus  gained  a  valuable  addition  to  his 
army ;  and  proceeded  himself  to  organize  a  system  of 
government,  under  which  the  great  national  resource? 
of  the  country  might  be  turneid  to  the  best  advantage. 
This  was  done,  and  the  arrangements  of  the  new,ad- 
ministration  were  made  in  a  manner  which  reflects 
honor  on  the  consummate  understanding,  the  clear 
skill,  and  the  unwearied  industry  of  this  extraordinary 
man. 

He  was  careful  to  advance  no  claim  to  the  sover- 
eignty of  Egypt ;  but  asserted,  that  having  rescued  it 
from  the  Mameluke  usurpation,  it  remained  for  him 
to  administer  law  and  justice,  until  the  time  should  come 
or  restoring  the  province  to  the  dominion  of  the  grand 
seignior.  He  then  established  two  councils,  consisting 
of  natives,  principally  of  Arab  chiefs  and  Moslems  of 
the  church  and  the  law,  by  whose  advice  all  measures 
were,  nominally,  to  be  regulated.  They  formed  of 
course  a  very  subservient  senate.  He  had  no  occasion 
to  demand  more  from  the  people  than  they  had  been 
used  to  pay  to  the  beys  ;  and  he  lightened  the  impost 
by  introducing  as  far  as  he  could  the  fairness  and  ex- 
actness of  a  civilized  power  in  the  method  of  levying 
it.  He  labored  to  make  the  laws  respected,  and  this 
so  earnestly  and  rigidly,  that  no  small  wonder  was  ex- 
cited among  all  classes  of  a  population  so  long  accus- 
tomed to  the  license  of  a  barbarian  horde  of  spoilers. 
On  one  occasron,  one  of  the  ulemahs  could  not  help 
smiling  at  the  zeal  which  he  manifested  for  tracing 
home  the  murder  of  an  obscure  peasant  to  the  perpe- 
trator. The  Mussulman  asked  if  the  dead  man  were 
in  any  wise  related  to  him.  "  No,"  answered  Napo- 
leon, sternly — "  but  he  was  more  than  that — he  was 
one  of  a  people  whose  government  it  has  pleased  Prov- 


88  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1798. 

idence  to  place  in  my  hands."  The  measures  which 
he  took  for  the  protection  of  travellers  to  Mecca  were 
especially  acceptable  to  the  heads  of  the  Moslem  estab- 
lishment, and  produced  from  them  a  proclamation,  (in 
direct  contradiction  to  the  Koran,)  signifying  that  it 
was  right  and  lawful  to  pay  tribute  to  the  French. 
The  virtuosi  and  artists  in  his  train,  meanwhile,  pur- 
sued with  indefatigable  energy  their  scientific  re- 
searches :  they  ransacked  the  monuments  of  Egypt, 
and  laid  the  foundation,  at  least,  of  all  the  wonderful 
discoveries  which  have  since  been  made  concerning 
the  knowledge,  arts,  polity  (and  even  language)  of  the 
ancient  nation.  Nor  were  their  objects  merely  those 
of  curiosity.'  They,  under  the  general's  direction,  ex- 
amined into  the  long-smothered  traces  of  many  an 
ancient  device  for  improving  the  agriculture  of  the 
country.  Canals  that  had  been  shut  up  for  many  cen- 
turies were  re-opened ;  the  waters  of  the  Nile  flowed 
once  more  where  they  had  been  guided  by  the  skill  of 
the  Pharaohs  or  the  Ptolemies.  Cultivation  was  ex- 
tended ;  property  secured ;  and  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that  the  signal  improvements  since  introduced  into 
Egypt,  are  attributable  mainly  to  the  wise  example  of 
the  French  administration.  At  Cairo  itself  there  oc- 
curred one  stormy  insurrection,  provoked,  as  may  be 
supposed,  by  some  wantonness  on  the  part  of  the  garri- 
son ;  but,  after  this  had  been  quelled  by  the  same  mer- 
ciless vigor  which  Napoleon  had  displayed  on  similar 
occasions  in  Italy,  the  country  appears  to  have  remain- 
ed in  more  quiet,  and  probably  enjoyed,  in  spite  of  the 
presence  of  an  invading  army,  more  prosperity  than  it 
had  ever  done  during  any  period  of  the  same  length, 
since  the  Saracen  government  was  overthrown  by  the 
Ottomans. 

In  such  labors  Napoleon  passed  the  autumn  of  1798. 
Up  to  this  time  he  had  received  no  communication 
from  the  French  government ;  but  rumors  now  began 
to  reach  his  quarters  which  might  well  give  him  new 
anxieties.  The  report  of  another  rupture  with  Austria 
gradually  met  with  more  credence ;  and  it  was  ere 
long  placed  beyond  a  doubt,  that  the  Ottoman  porte, 


1798.]  THE    RED    SEA.  89 

instead  of  being  tempted  into  any  recognition  of  the 
French  establishment  in  Egypt,  had  declared  war 
against  the  republic,  and  summoned  all  the  strength  of 
her  empire*  to  pour  in  overwhelming  numbers  on  the 
isolated  army  of  Bonaparte. 

As  yet,  however,  there  was  no  appearance  of  an 
enemy ;  and  Napoleon  seized  the  opportunity  to  ex- 
plore the  isthmus  of  Suez,  where  a  narrow  neck  of 
land  divides  the  Red  Sea  from  the  Mediterranean,  part- 
ly with  the  view  of  restoring  the  communication  said 
to  have  in  remote  times  existed  between  them,  and 
partly  of  providing  for  the  defence  of  Egypt,  should 
the  Ottomans  attempt  the  invasion  by  the  way  of 
Syria. 

He  visited  the  Maronite  monks  of  Mount  Sinai,  and, 
as  Mahomet  had  done  before  him,  affixed  his  name  to 
their  charter  of  privileges  :  he  examined  also  the  well 
of  Moses  ;  and  nearly  lost  his  life  in  exploring,  during 
low  water,  the  sands  of  the  Red  Sea,  where  Pharaoh 
is  supposed  to  have  perished  in  the  pursuit  of  the  He- 
brews. "  The  night  overtook  us,"  says  Savary  in  his 
Memoirs;  "  the  waters  began*  to '  rise  around  us;  the 
guard  in  advance  exclaimed  that  their  horses  were 
swimming.  Bonaparte  saved  us  all  by  one  of  those 
simple  expedients  which  occur  to  an  imperturbable 
mind.  Placing  himself  in  the  centre,  he  bade  all  the 
rest  form  a  circle  round  him,  and  then  ride  on,  each 
man  in  a  separate  direction,  and  each  man  to  halt  as 
soon  as  he  found  his  horse  swimming.  The  man 
whose  horse  continued  to  march  the  last,  was  sure,  he 
said,  to  be  in  the  right  direction :  him  accordingly  we 
all  followed,  and  reached  Suez  at  two  in  the  morning 
in  safety,  though  so  rapidly  had  the  tide  advanced,  that 
the  water  was  at  the  poitrels  of  our  horses  ere  we 
made  the  land." 

Bonaparte  returned  to  Cairo,  and  made  his  last  prep- 
arations for  a  renewal  of  the  war.  He  left  15,000  in 
and  about  Cairo,  the  division  of  Dessaix  in  Upper 
Egypt,  and  garrisons  in  the  chief  towns ;  and  then 
marched  towards  Syria  at  the  head  of  10,000  picked 
men,  with  the  intention  of  crushing  the  Turkish  arma- 


90  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1799. 

ment  in  that  quarter,  before  their  chief  force  (which 
he  now  knew  was  assembling  at  Rhodes)  should  have 
time  to  reach  Egypt  by  sea.  Traversing  the  desert 
which  divides  Africa  from  Asia,  he  took  possession  of 
the  fortress  El-Arish  (15  Feb.),  whose  garrison,  after 
a  vigorous  assault,  capitulated  on  condition  that  they 
should  be  permitted  to  retreat  into  Syria,  pledging 
their  parole  not  to  serve  again  during  the  war.  Pur- 
suing his  march,  he  took  Gazah  (that  ancient  city  of 
the  Philistines)  without  opposition ;  tut  at  Jaffa  (the 
Joppa  of  holy  writ),  the  Turks  made  a  resolute  de- 
fence. The  walls  were  carried  by  storm  ;  3000  Turks 
died  with  arms  in  their  hands,  and  the  town  was  given 
up  during  three  hours  to  the  fury  of  the  French  sol- 
diery— who  never,  as  Napoleon  confessed,  availed 
themselves  of  the  license  of  war  more  savagely  than 
on  this  occasion. 

A  part  of  the  garrison — amounting,  according  to 
Bonaparte,  to  1200  men,  but  stated  by  others  as  nearly 
3000  in  number — held  out  for  some  hours  longer  in  the 
mosques  and  citadel ;  but  at  length,  seeing  no  chance 
of  rescue,  grounded  their  arms  (7th  March).  Napo- 
leon separated  the  Egyptians  among  them  from  the 
Turks  and  Arhouts ;  and  on  the  9th,  two  days  after, 
these  last  were  marched  out  of  Jaffa  in  the  centre  of 
a  battalion  under  general  Bon.  When  they  had 
"reached  the  sand-hills,  at  some  distance  from  the  town, 
they  were  divided  into  small  parties,  and  shot  or  bayo- 
neted to  a  man.  They,  like  true  fatalists,  submitted  in 
silence  ;  ajid  their  bodies  were  gathered  together  into 
a  pyramid,  where  their  bones  are  still  visible  whiten- 
ing the  sand. 

Such  was  the  massacre  at  Jaffa,  which  will  ever 
form  one  of  the  darkest  stains  on  the  name  of  Napo- 
leon. He  admitted  the  fact  himself : — and  justified  it 
on  the  double  plea,  that  he  could  not  afford  soldiers  to 
guard  so  many  prisoners,  and  that  he  could  not  grant 
them  the  benefit  of  their  parole,  because  they  were  the 
very  men  who  had  already  been  set  free  on  such  terms 
»t  El-Arish. 

It  was  about  this  time  that,  as  if  Heaven  had  deter- 


1799.]  ST.    JEAN    D  ACRE.  91 

mined  to  visit  such  atrocity  on  the  heads  of  the 
French,  the  plague  broke  out  in  their  camp.  The  very 
name  of  this  horrible  scourge  shook  the  nerves  of  the 
Europeans  ;  its  symptoms  filled  them  with  indescriba- 
ble horror.  The  sick  despaired  utterly;  the  healthy 
trembled  to  minister  to  them  in  their  misery.  Napo- 
leon went  through  the  hospitals,  and  at  once  breathed 
hope  into  the  sufferers,  and  rebuked  the  cowardice  of 
their  attendants,  by  squeezing  and  relieving  with  his 
own  hand  the  foul  ulcers  which  no  one  had  dared  to 
touch.  Pity  that  this  act  of  true  heroism  must  ever 
be  recorded  on  the  same  page  that  tells  the  story  of 
Jaffa! 

Bonaparte  had  now  ascertained  that  the  pacha  of 
Syria,  Achmet-Djezzar,  was  at  St.  Jean  D'Acre  (so 
renowned  in  the  history  of  the  crusades),  and  deter- 
mined to  defend  that  place  to  extremity,  with  the 
forces  which  had  already  been  assembled  for  the  inva- 
sion of  Egypt.  He  in  vain  endeavored  to  seduce  this 
ferocious  chief  from  his  allegiance  to  the  porte,  by 
holding  out  the  hope  of  a  separate  independent  govern- 
ment, under  the  protection  of  France.  The  first  of 
Napoleon's  messengers  returned  without  an  answer ; 
the  second  was  put  to  death ;  and  the  army  moved  on 
Acre  in  all  the  zeal  of  revenge,  while  the  necessary  ap- 
paratus of  a  siege  was  ordered  to  be  sent  round  by  sea 
from  Alexandria. 

Sir  Sydney  Smith  was  then  cruising  in  the  Levant 
with  two  British  ships  of  the  line,  the  Tigre  and  the 
Theseus  ;  and,  being  informed  of  Napoleon's  approach 
by  the  pacha,  hastened  to  support  him  in  the  defence 
of  Acre.  Napoleon's  vessels,  conveying  guns  and 
stores  from  Egypt,  fell  into  his  hands,  and  he  appeared 
off  the  town  two  days  before  the  French  army  came 
in  view  of  it.  He  had  on  board  his  ship  colonel  Phi- 
lippeaux,  a  French  royalist  of  great  talents  (formerly 
Bonaparte's  school-fellow  at  Brienne)  ;  and  me  pacha 
willingly  permitted  the  English  commodore  and  this 
skilful  ally  to  regulate  for  him,  as  far  as  was  possible, 
the  plan  of  his  defence. 

The  loss  of  his  own  heavy  artillery,  and  the  presence 


92  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1799. 

of  two  English  ships,  were  inauspicious  omens ;  yet 
Bonaparte  doubted  not  that  the  Turkish  garrison 
would  shrink  before  his  onset,  and  he  instantly  com- 
menced the  siege.  He  opened  his  trenches  on  the 
18th  of  March.  "  On  that  little  town,"  said  he  to  one 
of  his  generals,  as  they  were  standing  together  on  an 
eminence,  which  still  bears  the  name  of  Richard 
Coeur-de-lion, — "  on  yonder  little  town  depends  the  fate 
of  the  East.  Behold  the  key  of  Constantinople,  or  of 
India/' 

From  the  18th  to  the  28th  of  March,  the. French 
labored  hard  in  their  trenches,  being  exposed  to  the 
fire  of  extensive  batteries,  arranged  by  Philippeaux  so 
as  to  command  their  approach,  and  formed  chiefly  of 
Bonaparte's  own  artillery,  captured  on  the  voyage 
from  Alexandria.  The  Turks  also  were  constantly 
sallying  out,  and  their  pacha  personally  set  the  exam- 
ple of  the  most  heroic  resolution.  Nevertheless,  on 
the  28th,  a  breach  was  at  last  effected,  and  the  French 
mounted  with  such  fiery  zeal  that  the  garrison  gave 
way,  until  Djezzar  appeared  on  the  battlements,  and 
flinging  his  own  pistols  at  the  heads  of  the  flying  men, 
urged  and  compelled  them  to  renew  the  defence.  In 
the  end  the  French  retreated  with  great  loss,  and  the 
Turks  headed  by  the- English  seamen,  pursuing  them 
to  their  lines,  a  great  mine,  designed  to  blow  up  the 
chief  tower  of  Acre,  was  explored,  and  means  taken 
for  countermining  it. 

Meanwhile,  a  vast  Mussulman  army  had  been  gath- 
ered among  the  mountains  of  Samaria,  and  was  pre- 
paring to  descend  upon  Acre,  and  attack  the  besiegers 
in  concert  with  the  garrison  of  Djezzar.  Junot,  with 
his  division,  marched  to  encounter  them,  and  would 
have  been  overwhelmed  by  their  numbers,  had  not 
Napoleon  himself  followed  and  rescued  him  (April  8) 
at  Nazareth,  where  the  splendid  cavalry  of  the  orien- 
tals were,  as  usual,  unable  to  resist  the  solid  squares 
and  well-directed  musketry  of  the  French.  Kleber, 
with  another  division,  was  in  like  manner  endangered, 
and  in  like  manner  rescued  by  the  general-in-chief  at 
Mount  Tabor  (April  15).  The  Mussulmans  dispersed 


1799.]  SIEGE    OF    ACRE.  93 

on  all  hands ;  and  Napoleon,  returning  to  his  siege, 
pressed  it  on  with  desperate  assaults,  day  after  day,  in 
which  his  best  soldiers  were  thinned,  before  the  united 
efforts  of  Djezzar's  gallantry,  and  the  skill  of  his  allies. 
At  length,  however,  a  party  of  French  succeeded  in 
forcing  their  way  into  the  great  tower,  and  in  estab- 
lishing themselves  in  one  part  of  it,  in  despite  of  all 
the  resolution  that  could  be  opposed  to  them.  At  the 
same  critical  moment,  there  appeared  in  the  offing  a 
Turkish  fleet,  which  was  known  to  carry  great  rein- 
forcements for  the  pacha.  Everything  conspired  to 
prompt  Napoleon  to  finish  his  enterprise  at  whatever 
cost,  and  he  was  gallantly  seconded. 

Sir  Sydney  Smith,  however,  was  as  resolute  to  hold 
out  until  the  fleet  should  arrive,  as  Napoleon  was  eager 
to  anticipate  its  coming.  The  English  commander  re- 
paired with  his  gallant  seamen  to  the  tower,  and  after  a 
furious  assault  dislodged  the  occupants.  Bonaparte 
did  not  renew  the  attack  in  that  quarter,  but  succeeded 
in  breaking  the  wall  in  another  part  of  the  town ;  and 
the  heroic  Lannes  headed  a  French  party  who  actually 
entered  Acre  at  that  opening.  But  Djezzar  was  wil- 
ling they  should  enter.  He  suffered  them  to  come  in 
unmolested ;  and  then,  before  they  could  form,  threw 
such  a  crowd  of  Turks  upon  them,  that  discipline  was 
of  no  avail ;  it  was  a  mere  multitude  of  duels,  and  the 
brave  orientals  with  their  scimitars  and  pistols,  over- 
powered their  enemies,  and  put  them  to  death- — almost 
to  a  man.  Lannes  himself  was  with  difficulty  carried 
back  desperately  wounded. 

The  siege  had  now  lasted  sixty  days.  Once  more 
Napoleon  commanded  an  assault,  and  his  officers  and 
soldiery  once  more  obeyed  him  with  devoted  and  fruit- 
less gallantry.  The  loss  his  army  had  by  this  time  un- 
dergone was  very  great.  Caffarelli,  and  many  other 
officers  of  the  highest  importance,  were  no  more  ;  the 
ranks  of  his  legions  were  thinned  by  the  plague,  as  well 
as  the  weapons  of  the  defenders  of  Acre.  The  hearts 
of  all  men  were  quickly  sinking.  The  Turkish  fleet 
was  at  hand  to  reinforce  Djezzar ;  and  upon  the  utter 
failure  of  the  attack  of  the  21st  May,  Napoleon  yielded 


94         •    NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1799. 

to  stern  necessity,  and  began  his  retreat  upon  Jaffa, 
whence  on  the  27th  of  May  he  pursued  his  course  for 
Egypt. 

The  march  onward  was  a  continued  scene  of  misery ; 
for  the  wounded  and  sick  were  many,  the  heat  oppres 
sive,  the  thirst  intolerable ;  and  the  ferocious  Djezzar 
was  hard  behind,  and  the  wild  Arabs  of  the  desert  hov- 
ered around  them  on  every  side,  so  that  he  who  fell 
behind  his  company  was  sure  to  be  slain.  How  hard 
and  callous  the  hearts  of  brave  men  can  become  when 
every  thought  is  occupied  with  self,  the  story  of  that 
march  presents  a  fearful  picture.  When  a  comrade, 
after  Quitting  his  ranks,  being  stimulated  by  the  despair 
of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Turks  or  Arabs,  yet 
once  again  reared  himself  from  the  burning  sand,  and 
made  a  last  attempt  to  stagger  after  the  column,  his 
painful  and  ineffectual  efforts  furnished  matter  for  mili- 
tary merriment.  "  He  is  drunk,"  said  one,  "  his  march 
will  not  be  a  long  one,"  answered  another  ;  and  when 
he  once  more  sank  helpless  and  hopeless,  a  third  remark- 
ed, "  our  friend  has  at  length  taken  up  his  quarters." 
It  is  not  to  be  omitted,  that  Napoleon  did,  on  this  occa- 
sion, all  that  became  his  situation.  He  yielded  his 
last  horse  to  the  service  of  the  moving  hospital ;  and 
walked  on  foot,  by  the  side  of  the  sick,  cheering  them 
by  his  eye  and  his  voice,  and  exhibiting  to  all  the  sol- 
diery the  example  at  once  of  endurance  and  of  com- 
passion. 

Having  at  length  accomplished  this  perilous  journey, 
Bonaparte  repaired  to  his  old  head-quarters  at  Cairo, 
and  re-entered  on  his  great  functions  as  the  establisher 
of  a  new  government  in  the  state  of  Egypt.  But  he 
had  not  long  occupied  himself  thus,  ere  new  rumors 
concerning  the  beys  on  the  Upper  Nile,  who  seemed  to 
have  some  strong  and  urgent  motive  for  endeavoring 
to  force  a  passage  downwards,  began  to  be  mingled  with, 
and  by  degrees  explained  by,  tidings  daily  repeated  of 
some  grand  disembarkation  of  the  Ottomans,  designed 
to  have  place  in  the  neighborhood  of  Alexandria. 
Leaving  Dessaix,  therefore,  once  more  in  command  at 
Cairo,  he  himself  descended  the  Nile,  and  travelled 


1799.]  ABOUKIR.  95 

with  all  speed  to  Alexandria,  where  he  found  his  pres- 
ence most  necessary.  For,  in  effect,  the  great  Turk- 
ish fleet  had  already  run  into  the  bay  of  Aboukir;  and 
an  army  of  18,000,  having  gained  the  fortress,  were 
there  strengthening  themselves,  with  the  view  of  await- 
ing the  promised  descent  and  junction  of  the  Mame- 
lukes, and  then,  with  overwhelming  superiority  of  num- 
bers, advancing  to  Alexandria  and  completing  the  ruin 
of  the  French  invaders. 

Bonaparte  reached  Alexandria  on  the  evening  of  the 
24th  of  July,  and  found  his  army  already  posted  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Aboukir,  and  prepared  to  anticipate 
the  attack  of  the  Turks  on  the  morrow.  Surveying 
their  intrenched  camp  from  the  heights  above,  with 
Murat,  "  Go  how  it  will,  the  battle  of  to-morrow  will 
decide  the  fate  of  the  world:"  "Of  this  army,  at  least," 
answered  Murat;  "but  the  Turks  have  no  cavalry, 
and  if  ever  infantry  were  charged  to  the  teeth  by  horse, 
they  shall  be  so  by  mine/'  Murat  did  not  penetrate 
the  hidden  meaning  of  Napoleon's  words,  but  he  made 
good  his  own. 

The  Turkish  outposts  were  assaulted  early  in  the 
morning,  and  driven  in  with  great  slaughter ;  but  the 
French,  when  they  advanced,  came  within  the  range 
of  the  batteries,  and  of  the  shipping  that  lay  close 
by  the  shore,  and  were  checked.  Their  retreat  might 
have  ended  in  a  rout,  but  for  the  undisciplined  eager- 
ness with  which  the  Turks  engaged  in  the  task  of  spoiling 
arid  maiming  those  that  fell  before  them ;  thus  giving 
to  Murat  the  opportunity  of  charging  their  main  body 
in  flank  with  his  cavalry,  at  the  moment  when  the 
French  infantry,  profiting  by  their  disordered  and  scat- 
tered condition,  and  rallying  under  the  eye  of  Napoleon, 
forced  a  passage  to  the  intrenchments.  From  that  mo- 
ment the  battle  was  a  massacre.  The  Turks,  attacked 
on  all  sides,  were  panic-struck  ;  and  the  sea  was  covered 
with  the  turbans  of  men  who  flung  themselves  headlong 
into  the  waves,  rather  than  await  the  fury  of  Le  Beau 
Sabreur*  or  the  steady  rolling  fire  of  the  Sultan  Kebir.-\ 

*  The  handsome  swordsman — i.  e,  Murat. 
f  The  King  of  Fire — i.  e.  Napoleon. 


96  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1799. 

Six  thousand  surrendered  at  discretion  ;  twelve  thou- 
sand perished  on  the  field  or  in  the  sea.  Mustapha 
Pacha,  the  general,  being  brought  into  the  presence  of 
his  victor,  was  saluted  with  these  words  : — "  It  has  been 
your  fate  to  lose  this  day  ;  but  I  will  take  care  to  in- 
form the  sultan  of  the  courage  with  which  you  have 
contested  it."  "  Spare  thyself  that  trouble,"  answered 
the  proud  pacha,  _"  my  master  knows  me  better  than 
thou." 

Napoleon  once  more  returned  to  Cairo  on  the  9th  of 
August ;  but  it  was  only  to  make  some  parting  arrange- 
ments as  to  the  administration,  civil  and  military:  for, 
from  the  moment  of  his  victory  at  Aboukir,  he  had  re- 
solved to  intrust  Egypt  to  other  hands,  and  admiral 
Gantheaume  was  already  preparing  in  secret  the  means 
of  his  removal  to  France.  Bonaparte  always  asserted, 
and  the  Bonapartist  writers  of  his  history  still  maintain, 
that  this  resolution  was  adopted  in  consequence  of  a 
mere  accident ;  namely,  that  Sir  Sydney  Smith,  in  the 
course  of  some  negotiations  about  prisoners  which  fol- 
lowed after  the  battle  of  Aboukir,  sent  a  file  of  English 
newspapers  for  the  amusement  of  the  general.  Some 
say  the  English  commodore  did  so  out  of  mere  civility ; 
others,  that  he  designed  to  distract  the  movements  of 
Napoleon,  by  showing  him  the  dangerous  condition  to 
which,  during  his  absence,  the  affairs  of  France,  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  had  been  reduced.  It  seems,  how- 
ever, to  be  generally  believed  (as  without  doubt  it  is 
the  more  probable  case),  that  Bonaparte  had  long  ere 
now  received  intelligence  of  the  great  events  in  which 
he  was  so  deeply  concerned.  He  had,  assuredly,  many 
friends  in  Paris,  who  were  watching  keenly  over  his 
interests,  and  who  must  have  been  singularly  ill  served 
if  they  never  were  able  to  communicate  with  him  du- 
ring so  many  months. 

However  this  may  have  been,  his  determination  was 
taken  and  speedily  executed.  Leaving  the  command  of 
the  army  to  Kleber,  and  without  suffering  any  suspi- 
cion of  his  projects  to  arise  among  the  soldiery,  he  turn- 
ed his  back  upon  Cairo,  and  on  the  23d  of  August  em- 


1799.]  RETROSPECT.  97 

barked  at  Rosetta,  for  France,  in  the  frigate  which 
admiral  Gantheaiime  had  provided  for  him. 

We  must  now  leave  Napoleon  for  a  moment,  to  in- 
dicate the  course  of  events  which  were  transpiring  in 
Europe. 

While  the  negotiations  at  Rastadt  were  still  in  pro- 
gress, the  directory,  on  the  most  flimsy  of  pretences, 
marched  an  army  into  Switzerland  ;  and,  by  vast  su- 
periority of  numbers,  overwhelmed  the  defence  of  the 
unprepared  mountaineers.  The  conquered  cantons 
were  formed  into  another  republic  of  the  new  kind — 
to  wit,  "  the  Helvetian  ;"  nominally  a  sister  and  ally, 
but  really  a  slave,  of  the  French.  Another  force,  act- 
ng  under  orders  equally  unjustifiable,  seized  Turin, 
and  dethroned  the  king  of  Sardinia.  Lastly,  the  pope, 
in  spite  of  all  his  humiliating  concessions  at  Tollentino, 
saw  a  republican  insurrection,  roused  by  French  insti- 
gation, within  his  capital.  Tumults  and  bloodshed 
ensued  ;  and  Joseph  Bonaparte,  the  French  ambassador 
at  Rome,  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life.  A  French 
army  forthwith  advanced  on  Rome ;  the  pope's  func- 
tions as  a  temporal  prince  were  terminated ;  he  retired 
to  the  exile  of  Siena ;  and  another  of  those  feeble  phan- 
toms, which  the  French  directory  delighted  to  invest 
with  glorious  names,  appeared  under  the  title  of  the 
"  Roman  Republic." 

These  outrages  aroused  anew  the  indignation,  the 
first,  of  all  true  lovers  of  freedom,  the  second,  of  the 
monarchs  whose  representatives  were  assembled  at 
Rastadt,  and  the  third  of  the  catholic  population  through- 
out Europe.  England  was  not  slow  to  take  advantage 
of  the  unprincipled  rashness  of  the  directory,  and  of 
the  sentiments  which  it  was  fitted  to  inspire ;  and  the 
result  was  a  new  coalition  against  Fiance,  in  which 
the  great  power  of  Russia  now,  for  the  first  time,  took 
a  part.  The  French  plenipotentiaries  were  suddenly 
ordered  to  quit  Rastadt ;  and  within  a  few  hours  after- 
ward, they  were  murdered  on  their  journey  by  ban- 
ditti clad  in  the  Austrian  uniform,  most  assuredly  not 
acting  under  orders  from  the  Austrian  or  any  other 
government.  E 


98  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1799. 

The  king  of  Naples  had,  unfortunately  for  himself,  a 
greater  taste  for  arms  than  the  nation  he  governed ; 
and,  justly  concluding  that  the  conquerors  of  Rome 
would  make  himself  their  next  object,  he  rashly  pro- 
claimed war,  ere  the  general  measures  of  the  coalition 
were  arranged.  The  arrival  of  Nelson  in  his  harbor, 
bringing  the  news  of  the  destruction  of  the  French 
fleet  at  Aboukir,  and  the  consequent  isolation  of  Napo- 
leon, gave  him  courage  to  strike  a  blow  which  the  offi- 
cers of  his  army  were  little  likely  to  second.  The  re- 
sult of  his  hasty  advance  to  the  northward  was  not  a 
battle,  but  a  flight ;  and  though  the  Lazzaroni  of  Naples, 
rising  in  fury,  held  the  capital  for  some  days  against  the 
French,  their  defences  were  at  length  overcome :  the 
king  passed  over  to  his  Sicilian  dominions  ;  and  another 
tributary  of  France  was  announced  by  the  name  of 
the  Parthenopean  republic. 

Far  different  success  attended  the  better-considered 
movements  by  which  the  great  powers  of  the  new 
coalition  reopened  the  war.  The  details  of  those 
bloody  campaigns  by  which  Holland  and  Belgium  were 
for  a  moment  rescued  from  the  grasp  of  France ;  the 
French  army,  under  Jourdan,  beaten  beyond  the  Rhine 
by  the  archduke  Charles ;  and  the  north  of  Italy,  the 
whole  of  Bonaparte's  mighty  conquests,  recovered  by 
the  Austro-Russians  under  the  command  of  Suwarrow; 
as  also  of  the  ultimate  reverses  of  the  allies  in  the  di- 
rection of  Holland,  and  of  the  concentration  of  their 
forces  in  two  great  armies,  one  on  the  frontier  of 
Switzerland,  and  another  lower  down  on  the  Rhine, 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the  war  by  two  inlets  into 
the  heart  of  France  ;  and,  finally,  of  the  masterly  re- 
treat of  general  Macdonald,  by  which  he  succeeded 
in  leading  the  army  which  had  occupied  Naples  quite 
through  Italy  into  France — all  these  details  belong 
rather  to  the  general  history  of  the  period,  than  to  the 
biography  of  Bonaparte.  Neither  is  it  possible  that 
we  should  here  enter  upon  any  minute  account  of  the 
internal  affairs  of  France  during  the  period  of  his 
Egyptian  and  Syrian  campaigns.  It  must  suffice  to 
say,  that  the  generally  unfortunate  course  of  the  war 


1799.  j  RETROSPECT VOYAGE.  99 

had  been  accompanied  by  the  growth  of  popular  dis- 
content at  home ;  that  the  tottering  directory  for  a 
moment  gathered  strength  to  themselves  by  associating 
Sieyes  to  their  number ;  that  the  mean  and  selfish  con- 
duct of  the  rulers  soon  nullified  the  -results  of  that  par- 
tial change ;  that  the  directory  at  length  found  it  im- 
possible to  maintain  the  favorite  system  of  balancing 
faction  against  faction,  and  so  neutralizing  their  efforts ; 
in  a  word,  that  the  moderates  (under  which  name  the 
royalists  are  included)  had  obtained  a  decided  com- 
mand in  the  council  of  ancients,  and  the  republicans, 
or  democratical  party,  an  equally  overpowering  ma- 
jority in  the  assembly  of  the  five  hundred ;  while  the 
directors,  as  a  body,  had  no  longer  the  slightest  power 
to  control  either.  Finally,  the  Chouans  (as  the  royal- 
ists of  Bretagne  were  called)  had  been  stimulated  by 
the  disordered  appearance  of  things  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  40,000  insurgents  appeared  in  arms,  with- 
standing, with  varied  success,  the  troops  of  the  repub- 
lic, and  threatening,  by  their  example,  to  rekindle  a 
general  civil  war  in  France.  Such  was,  or  had  recent- 
ly been,  the  state  of  affairs  when  Bonaparte  landed  at 
Frejus,  and  sent  before  him  to  Paris,  to  the  inexpressi- 
ble delight  of  a  nation  of  late  accustomed  to  hear  of 
nothing  but  military  disasters,  the  intelligence  of  that 
splendid  victory  which  had  just  destroyed  the  great 
Turkish  armament  at  Aboukir.  He  arrived  at  a  mo- 
ment when  all  men,  of  all  parties,  were  satisfied  that  a 
new  revolution  was  at  hand ;  and  when  the  leaders  of 
all  the  contending  factions  were  equally  desirous  of  in- 
voking arms  to  their  support  in  the  inevitable  struggle. 
On  the  9th  of  October,  the  vessel  which  bore  him 
was  safely  moored  in  the  bay  of  Frejus ;  and  no  sooner 
was  it  known  that  Bonaparte  was  at  hand,  than,  in 
spite  of  all  the  laws  of  quarantine,  persons  of  every 
description,  including  the  ohief  functionaries,  both 
civil  and  military,  repaired  on  board  to  welcome  him. 
His  presence  alone  was  considered  as  the  pledge  of 
victory.  The  story  of  Aboukir  gave  new  fuel  to  the 
flame  of  universal  enthusiasm ;  and  he  landed,  not  so 
much  like  a  general  who  had  quitted  his  post  without 


100  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1799. 

orders,  as  a  victorious  prince,  who  had  returned  to  re- 
store the  lost  hearts  and  fortunes  of  a  people  that  con- 
fided only  in  him.  His  wife  and  his  brother  Joseph 
met  him  on  his  way ;  and  his  progress  towards  the 
capital,  wherever  his  person  was  recognized,  bore  all 
the  appearance  of  a  triumphal  procession.  But  he 
had  already  been  two  days  in  his  own  house,  in  the 
Rue  de  la  Victoire  (16th  Oct.) — thoroughly  in  posses- 
sion of  the  recent  course  of  events,  of  the  actual  state 
of  parties  and  of  the  public  mind,  and  well  prepared 
to  expect  in  patience  the  crisis  which,  as  he  well  knew, 
his  presence  in  Paris  must  hasten — ere  the  fact  of 
his  arrival  was  announced  to  the  trembling  directory. 

They  received  him,  when  he  at  length  presented 
himself  at  the  Louxembourg,  with  every  demonstration 
of  joy  and  respect.  Not  a  question  was  asked  as  to 
his  abandonment  of  his  army  ;  for  all  dreaded  the 
answer  which  they  had  the  best  reason  for  anticipating. 
He  was  invited  to  accept  of  a  public  dinner,  and 
agreed  to  do  so.  The  assemblage  was  magnificent, 
and  his  reception  enthusiastic ;  but  his  demeanor 
was  cold  and  reserved.  After  proposing  as  a  toast, 
"  the  union  of  all  parties" — ominous  words  from  those 
lips — he  withdrew  at  an  early  hour  of  the  evening. 

He  continued  for  some  little  time  to  avoid  public 
notice,  resuming  apparently  the  same  studies  and  se- 
questered life  which  he  had  led  when  last  in  Paris.  It 
was,  however,  remarked,  that  when  recognized  by  the 
populace,  he  received  their  salutations  with  uncommon 
affability ;  and  that  if  he  met  any  old  soldier  of  the 
army  of  Italy,  he  rarely  failed  to  recollect  the  man,  and 
take  him  by  the  hand. 

Meanwhile,  a  multitude  of  secret  intrigues  surround- 
ed and  occupied  him.  The  moderates,  with  the  director 
Sieyes  at  their  head,  on  the  one  side,  the  democrats, 
under  Barras,  on  the  other,  were  equally  disposed  to 
invoke  his  assistance.  He  received  the  proposals  of 
both  parties  ;  and  at  length  decided  on  closing  with 
those  of  the  former,  as  consisting  of  a  class  of  men  less 
likely  than  the  others  to  interfere  with  his  measures — 
when  the  new  government,  which  he  had  determined 


1799.]  PARIS.      /'•  ^   .        "'' 

••',;,,!;''•, 

should  be  his,  had  been  arranged.  His  brother  Lucien, 
shortly  before  elected  president  of  the  council  of  five 
hundred,  the  wily  Talleyrand  (ex-bishop  of  Autun),  and 
the  acute  and  spirited  Abbe  Sieyes,  were  his  chief  con- 
fidants ;  nor  could  any  age  or  country  have  furnished 
instruments  more  admirably  qualified  for  his  purpose. 
Meanwhile,  his  house  was  frequented  by  the  principal 
officers  who  had  accompanied  him  from  Egypt,  and  by 
others  who  had  served  in  his  Italian  campaigns ;  and 
though  no  one  pretended  to  say  what  was  about  to 
happen,  the  impression  became  universal  throughout 
Paris  that  some  great  and  decisive  event  was  at  hand, 
and  that  it  was  to  be  brought  about  by  means  of 
Bonaparte. 

Sieyes  governed  absolutely  one  of  his  colleagues  in 
the  directory,  Ducos ;  and  the  party  of  which  he  was 
the  chief  predominated  strongly,  as  has  been  mentioned, 
in  the  council  of  ancients.  'It  was  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  that  council,  accordingly,  that  the  con- 
spirators resolved  to  strike  their  first  blow.  And  how 
well  their  measures  had  been  preconcerted,  will  suffi- 
ciently appear  from  the  most  naked  statement  of  the 
events  of  the  18th  and  19th  Brumaire  (Nov.  10th  and 
llth,  1799),  in  the  order  of  their  occurrence. 

As  soon  as  Bonaparte's  arrival  was  known,  three 
regiments  of  dragoons,  forming  part  of  the  garrison  of 
Paris,  petitioned  for  the  honor  of  being  reviewed  by 
him.  He  had  promised  to  do  this,  but  delayed  naming 
the  day.  In  like  manner,  the  forty  adjutants  of  the 
national  guard  of  Paris  had  requested  leave  to  wait 
upon  him,  and  congratulate  him  on  his  arrival :  these 
also  had  been  told  that  he  would  soon  appoint  the  time 
for  receiving  them.  Lastly  the  officers  of  the  garrison, 
and  many  besides,  had  sent  to  beg  admittance  to  Na- 
poleon's presence,  that  they  might  tender  him  the  ex- 
pression of  their  admiration  and  attachment ;  and  to 
them  also  an  answer  of  the  same  kind  had  been  given. 

On  the  evening  of  the  17th  Brumaire,  all  the  officers 
above  mentioned  received,  separately,  the  general's  in- 
vitation to  corne  to  his  house  in  the  Rue  de  la  Victoire, 
at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning  ;  and  the  three  regi- 


103,  .-.,-«       NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1799. 

ments  of  dragoons  were  desired  to  be  mounted  for  their 
review,  at  the  same  early  hour,  in  the  Champs  Ely  sees. 
How  many  of  these  persons  knew  the  real  purpose  of 
the  assemblage  it  is  impossible  to  tell  ;  but  Moreau, 
Macdonald,  and  other  generals  of  the  first  reputation, 
avowedly  attached  to  the  moderes,  were  in  the  number 
of  those  who  attended,  and  had,  it  is  not  to  be  doubted, 
received  sufficient  intimation  that  the  crisis  was  at 
hand,  though  certainly  not  of  the  manner  in  which 
Bonaparte  designed  it  to  terminate.  However,  at  the 
appointed  hour  the  dragoons  were  at  their  post  in  the 
Champs  Elysees  ;  and  the  concourse  of  officers  at  Na- 
poleon's residence  was  so  great,  that,  the  house  being 
small,  he  received  them  in  the  court-yard  before  it, 
which  they  entirely  filled. 

Among  those  who  came  thither  was  Bernadotte : 
but  he  certainly  came  without  any  precise  notion  of 
the  purposes  of  his  friend  Joseph  Bonaparte,  who  in- 
vited him.  He  was,  probably,  next  to  Napoleon,  the 
general  who  possessed  the  greatest  influence  at  the 
period  in  Paris  ;  and,  in  fact,  the  fate  of  the  government 
depended  on  whether  the  one  party  in  the  directory 
should  be  the  first  to  summon  him  to  interfere,  or  the 
other  party  to  throw  themselves  on  Bonaparte.  He 
came ;  but,  unlike  the  rest,  he  came  not  in  uniform, 
nor  on  horseback.  Being  introduced  into  Napoleon's 
private  chamber,  he  was  informed,  with  little  preface, 
that  a  change  in  the  government  was  necessary,  and 
about  to  be  effected  that  very  day.  Bernadotte  had 
already  been  tampered  with  by  Sieyes  and  Ducos,  and 
he  rejected  Napoleon's  flatteries  as  he  had  theirs.  It 
was  well  known  to  Bonaparte,  that, 'had  this  great  offi- 
cer's advice  been  taken,  he  would,  immediately  on  his 
arrival  from  Egypt,  have  been  arrested  as  a  deserter 
of  his  post :  he  in  vain  endeavored  now  to  procure  his 
co-operation  ;  and  at  last  suffered  him  to  depart,  having 
with  difficulty  extorted  a  promise,  that  he  would  not, 
at  least,  do  anything  against  him  as  a  citizen.  It  will 
soon  be  seen  that  he  could  have  little  reason  to  appre- 
hend Bernadotte's  interference  in  his  military  capacity. 

In  effect,  the  council  of  the  ancients  assembled  the 


1799.]  18T1I    OF    BRUMAIRE.  103 

same  morning,  in  the  Tuileries,  at  the  early  hour  of 
seven ;  the  president,  who  was  one  of  the  chief  con- 
spirators, forthwith  declared  that  the  salvation  of  the 
state  demanded  vigorous  measures,  and  proposed  two 
decrees  for  their  acceptance  :  one,  by  which  the  meet- 
ings of  the  legislative  bodies  should  be  instantly  trans- 
ferred to  the  chateau  of  St.  Cloud,  some  miles  from 
Paris ;  and  another,  investing  Napoleon  with  the  su- 
preme command  of  all  the  troops  in  and  about  the  capi- 
tal, including  the  national  guard.  These  motions  were 
instantly  carried;  and,  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes, 
Bonaparte  received,  in  the  midst  of  his  martial  com- 
pany, the  announcement  of  his  new  authority.  He  in- 
stantly mounted  and  rode  to  the  Tuileries,  where, 
being  introduced  into  the  council,  together  with  all  his 
staff,  he  pronounced  those  memorable  words — "  You 
are  the  wisdom  of  the  nation :  I  come,  surrounded  by 
the  generals  of  the  republic,  to  promise  you  their  sup- 
port. Let  us  not  lose  time  in  looking  for  precedents. 
Nothing  in  history  resembled  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century — nothing  in  the  eighteenth  century  resembled 
this  moment.  Your  wisdom  has  devised  the  necessary 
measure ;  our  arms  shall  put  it  in  execution."  The 
command  intrusted  to  Napoleon  was  forthwith  an- 
nounced to  the  soldiery  ;  and  they  received  the  intelli- 
gence with  enthusiasm — the  mass,  of  course,  little  com- 
prehending to  what,  at  such  a  moment,  such  authority 
amounted. 

The  three  directors,  meanwhile,  who  were  not  in  the 
secret,  and  who  had  been  much  amused  with  seeing 
their  colleague  Sieyes  set  off  on  horseback  an  hour  or 
two  earlier  from  the  Louxembourg,  had  begun  to  un- 
derstand what  that  timely  exhibition  of  the  Abbe'a 
awkward  horsemanship  portended.  One  of  them, 
Moulins,  proposed  to  send  a  battalion  to  surround 
Bonaparte's  house,  and  arrest  him.  Their  own  guard 
laughed  at  them.  Bonaparte  was  already  in  the  Tui- 
leries, with  many  troops  around  him  ;  and  the  directorial 
guard,  being  summoned  by  one  of  his  aids-de-camp,  in- 
stantly marched  thither  also,  leaving  the  Louxembourg 
at  his  mercy.  Barras  sent  his  secretary  to  expostulate. 


104  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1799. 

Napoleon  received  him  with  haughtiness.  "  What 
have  you  done/'  cried  he,  "  for  that  fair  France  which 
I  left  you  so  prosperous  ?  For  peace  I  find  war  ;  for 
the  wealth  of  Italy,  taxation  and  misery.  Where  are 
the  100,000  brave  French  whom  I  knew — where  are 
the  companions  of  my  glory  ? — They  are  dead."  Bar- 
ras,  whose  infamous  personal  conduct  in  the  articles  of 
bribery  and  exaction  made  him  tremble  at  the  thought 
of  impeachment,  resigned  his  office :  so  did  his  col- 
leagues Gouhier  and  Moulins.  Sieyes  and  Ducos  had 
done  so  already.  Bernadotte,  indeed,  repaired  to  the 
Louxembourg  ere  Moulins  and  Ban-as  had  resigned, 
and  offered  his  sword  and  influence,  provided  they 
would  nominate  him  to  the  command  of  the  forces 
jointly  with  Napoleon.  They  hesitated  : — his  word 
of  honor  given  to  Bonaparte,  that  he  would  do  nothing 
as  a  citizen,  rendered  it  indispensable  that  they  should 
take  that  decisive  step ;  by  doing  so  they  would  at 
least  have  given  the  soldiery  a  fair  choice — they  hesi- 
tated— and  their  power  was  at  an  end.  The  Louxem- 
bourg was  immediately  guarded  by  troops  in  whom 
Napoleon  could  place  implicit  confidence.  The  direc- 
tory was  no  more. 

At  ten  o'clock  on  the  same  morning,  the  adverse 
council  of  five  hundred  assembled  also,  and  heard, 
with  astonishment  and  indignation,  of  the  decree  by 
which  their  sittings  were  transferred  from  Paris  (the 
scene  of  their  popular  influence)  to  St.  Cloud.  They 
had,  however,  no  means  of  disputing  that  point :  they 
parted  with  cries  of  "  Vive  la  RepuUique." — "  Vive 
la  Constitution !"  and  incited  the  mob,  their  allies,  to 
muster  next  morning  on  the  new  scene  of  action — 
where,  it  was  evident,  this  military  revolution  must 
either  be  turned  back,  or  pushed  to  consummation.  - 
During  the  rest  of  the  day  Napoleon  remained  at  the 
Tuileries:  the  troops  were  in  arms;  the  population 
expected  with  breathless  anxiety  the  coming  of  the  de- 
cisive day.  A  strong  body  of  soldiery  marched  to  St. 
Cloud  under  the  orders  of  Murat. 

The  members  of  both  assemblies  repaired  thithei 
early  in  the  morning  of  the  19th  ;  and  those  of  the  op- 


1799  ]  19TH    OF    BEUMAIRE.  105 

posite  party  beheld  with  dismay  the  military  invest- 
ment of  the  chateau.  Scattered  in  groups  about  the 
courts  and  gardens,  surrounded  with  the  mob  from  the 
city,  and  watched  by  Murat  and  his  stern  veterans, 
they  awaited  with  impatience  the  opening  of  the 
doors  ;  which,  in  consequence  of  some  necessary  prep- 
arations, did  not  occur  until  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. 

The  council  of  ancients  were  ushered  into  the  Gal- 
lery of  Mars,  and,  the  minority  having  by  this  time 
recovered  from  their  surprise,  a  stormy  debate  forthwith 
commenced,  touching  the  events  of  the  preceding  day. 
Bonaparte  entered  the  room,  and,  by  permission  of  the 
subservient  president,  addressed  the  assembly.  "  Citi- 
zens," said  he,  "  you  stand  over  a  volcano.  Let  a  soldier 
tell  the  truth  frankly.  I  was  quiet  in  my  home  when 
this  council  summoned  me  to  action.  I  obeyed  :  I 
collected  my  brave  comrades,  and  placed  the  arms  of 
my  country  at  the  service  of  you  who  are  its  head. 
We  are  repaid  with  calumnies — they  talk  of  Cromwell 
— of  Caesar.  Had  I  aspired  at  power  the  opportuni- 
ty was  mine  ere  now.  I  swear  that  France  holds  no 
more  devoted  patriot.  Dangers  surround  us.  Let  us 
not  hazard  the  advantages  for  which  we  have  paid 
so  dearly — Liberty  and  Equality  !" — A  democratic 
member,  Linglet,  added  aloud,  "  And  the  Constitution," 
— "  The  Constitution  !"  continued  Napoleon — "  it  has 
been  thrice  violated  already — all  parties  have  invoked 
it — each  in  turn'has  trampled  on  it :  since  that  can  be 
preserved  no  longer,  let  us,  at  least,  save  its  foundations 
— Liberty  and  Equality.  It  is  on  you  only  that  I  rely. 
The  council  of  five  hundred  would  restore  the  conven- 
tion, the  popular  tumults,  the  scaffolds,  the  reign  of 
terror.  I  will  save  you  from  such  horrors — I  and  my 
brave  comrades,  whose  swords  and  caps  I  see  at  the 
door  of  this  hall ;  and  if  any  hireling  prater  talks  of 
outlawry,  to  those  swords  shall  I  appeal."  The  great 
majority  were  with  him,  and  he  left  them  amid  loud 
cries  of  "  Vive  Bonaparte  !" 

A  far  different  scene  was  passing  in  the  hostile  as- 
sembly of  the  five  hundred.     When  its  members  at 


106  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1799. 

length  found  their  way  into  the  Orangery,  the  apart- 
ment allotted  for  them,  a  tumultuous  clamor  arose  on 
every  side.  Live  the  Constitution  ! — The  Constitu- 
tion or  death  I — Down  with  the  Dictator ! — such  were 
the  ominous  cries.  Lucien  Bonaparte,  the  president 
in  vain  attempted  to  restore  order :  the  moderate  ora- 
tors of  the  council  with  equal  ill  success  endeavored  to 
gain  a  hearing.  In  the  midst  of  the  tumult  Napoleon 
himself,  accompanied  by  four  grenadiers,  walked  into 
the  chamber — the  doors  remained  open,  and  plumes 
and  swords  were  visible  in  dense  array  behind  him. 
His  grenadiers  halted  near  the  door,  and  he  advanced 
alone  towards  the  centre  of  the  gallery.  Then  arose 
a  fierce  outcry — Drawn  swords  in  the  sanctuary  of  the 
laws  I — Outlawry  ! — Outlawry  ! — Let  him  be  pro- 
claimed a  traitor! — Was  it  for  this  you  gained  sc 
many  victories  ?  Many  members  rushed  upon  the  in- 
truder, and,  if  we  may  place  confidence  in  his  owr 
tale,  a  Corsican  deputy,  by  name  Arena,  aimed  a  dag- 
ger at  his  throat.  At  all  events,  there  was  such  an 
appearance  of  personal  danger  as  fired  the  grenadiers 
behind  him.  They  rushed  forwards,  and  extricated  him 
almost  breathless  ;  and  one  of  their  number  (Thome) 
was  at  least  rewarded  on  the  score  of  his  having  re- 
ceived a  wound  meant  for  the  general. 

It  seems  to  be  admitted,  that  at  this  moment  the  iron 
nerves  of  Bonaparte  were,  for  once,  shaken.  With  the 
dangers  of  the  field  he  was  familiar — he  had  not  been 
prepared  fop;the  manifestations  of  this»civil  rage.  He 
came  out,  staggering  and  stammering,  among  the  sol- 
diery, and  said,  "  I  offered  them  victory  and  fame,  and 
they  have  answered  me  with  daggers." 

Sieyes,  an  experienced  observer  of  such  scenes,  was 
still  on  horseback  in  the  court,  and  quickly  reassured 
him.  General  Augereau  came  up  but  a  moment  after- 
ward, and  said — "  You  have  brought  yourself  into  a 
pretty  situation."  "Augereau,"  answered  Napoleon 
(once  more  himself  again),  "  things  were  worse  at  Arco- 
la.  Be  quiet ;  all  this  will  soon  right  itself."  He  then 
harangued  the  soldiery — "  I  have  led  you  to  victory, 
to  fame,  to  glory.  Can  I  count  upon  you  ?"  "Yes, 


1799.]  19TH    OF    BRUMAIRB.  107 

yes,  we  swear  it,"  was  the  answer  that  burst  from  every 
line, — "  Vive  Bonaparte  /" 

In  the  council,  meantime,  the  commotion  had  in- 
creased  on  the  retreat  of  Napoleon.  A  general  cry 
arose  for  a  sentence  of  outlawry  against  him;  and  Lu- 
cien,  the  president,  in  vain  appealed  to  the  feelings  of 
nature,  demanding  that,  instead  of  being  obliged  to  put 
that  question  to  the  vote,  he  might  be  heard  as  the  ad- 
vocate of  his  brother.  He  was  clamorously  refused, 
and  in  indignation  flung  off  the  insignia  of  his  office. 
Some  grenadiers  once  more  entered,  and  carried  him 
also  out  of  the  place. 

The  president  found  the  soldiery  without  in  a  high 
state  of  excitement.  He  immediately  got  upon  horse- 
back, that  he  might  be  seen  and  heard  the  better,  and 
exclaimed  :  "  General  Bonaparte,  and  you,  soldiers  of 
France,  the  president  of  the  council  of  five  hundred 
announces  to  you  that  factious  men  with  daggers  in- 
terrupt the  deliberations  of  the  senate.  He  authorizes 
you  to  employ  force.  The  assembly  of  five  hundred 
is  dissolved." 

Napoleon  desired  Le  Clerc  to  execute  the  orders  of 
the  president ;  and  he,  with  a  detachment  of  grena- 
diers, forthwith  marched  into  the  hall.  Amid  the  re- 
iterated screams  of  "  Vive  la  Republique,"  which  sa- 
luted their  entrance,  an  aid-de-camp  mounted  the 
tribune,  and  bade  the  assembly  disperse. — "  Such," 
said  he,  "  are  the  orders  of  the  general." — Some  obey- 
ed ;  others  renewed  their  shouting. — The  drums 
drowned  their  voices. — "Forward,  grenadiers,"  said 
Le  Clerc ;  and  the  men  levelling  their  pieces  as  if  for 
the  charge,  advanced.  When  the  bristling  line  of 
bayonets  at  length  drew  near,  the  deputies  lost  heart, 
and  the  greater  part  of  them,  tearing  off  their  scarfs, 
made  their  escape,  with  very  undignified  rapidity,  by 
way  of  the  windows.  The  apartment  was  cleared.  It 
was  thus  that  Bonaparte,  like  Cromwell  before  him, 

"  Turn'd  out  the  members,  and  made  fast  the  door."* 
*  Crabbe. 


108  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [179& 

Some  of  his  military  associates  proposed  to  him,  that 
the  unfriendly  legislators  should  be  shot,  man  by  man, 
as  they  retreated  through  the  gardens  ;  but  to  this  he 
would  not  for  a  moment  listen. 

Lucien  Bonaparte  now  collected  the  moderate  mem- 
bers of  the  council  of  five  hundred ;  and  that  small 
minority,  assuming  the  character  of  the  assembly, 
communicated  with  the  ancients  on  such  terms  of  mu- 
tual understanding,  that  there  was  no  longer  any  diffi- 
culty about  giving  the  desired  coloring  to  the  events 
of  the  day.  It  was  announced,  by  proclamation,  that 
a  scene  of  violence  and  uproar,  and  the  daggers  and 
pistols  of  a  band  of  conspirators,  in  the  council  of  five 
hundred,  had  suggested  the  measures  ultimately  resort- 
ed to.  These  were — the  adjournment  of  the  two 
councils  until  the  middle  of  February  next  ensuing ; 
and  the  deposition,  meantime,  of  the  whole  authority 
of  the  state  in  a  provisional  consulate — the  consuls 
being  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  Sieyes,  and  Ducos. 

Thus  terminated  the  19th  of  Brumaire.  One  of 
the  greatest  revolutions  on  record  in  the  history  of  the 
world  was  accomplished,  by  means  of  swords  and  bay- 
onets unquestionably,  but  still  without  any  effusion  of 
blood.  From  that  hour  the  fate  of  France  was  deter- 
mined. The  Abbe  Sieyes,  Talleyrand,  and  other  emi- 
nent civilians  who  had  a  hand  in  this  great  day's  pro- 
ceedings, had  never  doubted  that,  under  the  new  state 
of  things  to  which  it  should  lead,  they  were  to  have 
the  chief  management  of  the  civil  concerns  of  France. 
The  ambition  of  Bonaparte,  they  questioned  not, 
would  be  satisfied  with  the  control  of  the  armies  and 
military  establishments  of  the  republic.  But  they 
reckoned  without  their  host.  Next  day  the  three  con- 
suls met  in  Paris  ;  and  a  lengthened  discussion  arose 
touching  the  internal  condition  and  foreign  relations 
of  France,  and  the  measures,  not  only  of  war,  but  of 
finance  and  diplomacy,  to  be  resorted  to.  To  the  as- 
tonishment of  Sieyes,  Napoleon  entered  readily  ana 
largely  upon  such  topics,  showed  perfect  familiarity 
with  them  in  their  minutest  details,  and  suggested  reso- 
lutions which  it  was  impossible  not  to  approve.  "  Gen 


1799.]  19TH    OP    BRUMAIRE.  109 

tlemen,"  said  the  Abbe,  on  reaching  his  own  house, 
where  Talleyrand  and  the  others  expected  him — and  it 
is  easy  to  imagine  the  sensations  with  which  Sieyes 
spoke  the  words,  and  Talleyrand  heard  them — "  Gen- 
tlemen, I  perceive  that  you  have  got  a  master.  Bona- 
parte can  do,  and  will  do,  everything  himself.  But," 
he  added,  after  a  pause,  "  it  is  better  to  submit,  than  to 
protract  dissension  forever." 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

REFORMS  IN  FRANCE — THE  CHOUANS — Constitution  of  the  Year  VIII — 
Bonaparte  writes  to  the  King  of  England — Lord  Grenville's  Answer 
— Movements  for  War — Napoleon  at  the  Alps — Passes  the  Great  St. 
Bernard — Difficulties — The  taking  of  St.  Bard— The  Siege  of  Genoa 
— The  Battle  of  Marengo — Italy  reconquered — Napoleon  returns  to 
Paris — Reception  there — Plots  against  him — Ceracchi — The  Infernal 
Machine — Austria — Battle  of  Hohenlinden — Treaty  of  Luneville — 
A.  D.  1799—1800. 

THE  upper  population  of  Paris  had  watched  the 
stormy  days  of  the  18th  and  19th  Brumaire  with  the 
most  anxious  fears,  lest  the  end  should  be  anarchy  and 
the  re-establishment  of  the  reign  of  terror.  Such,  in 
all  likelihood,  must  have  been  the  result,  had  Bona- 
parte failed,  after  once  attempting  to  strike  his  blow. 
His  success  held  out  the  prospect  of  victory  abroad, 
and  of  a  firm  and  stable  government  at  home,  under 
which  life  and  property  might  exist  in  safety;  and 
wearied  utterly  with  so  many  revolutions  and  constitu- 
tions, each  in  turn  pretending  everything,  and  ending 
in  nothing  but  confusion,  the  immense  majority  of  the 
nation  were  well  prepared  to  consider  any  govern- 
ment as  a  blessing,  which  seemed  to  rest  on  a  solid 
basis,  and  to  bid  fair  for  endurance.  The  revolutiona- 
ry fever  had  in  most  bosoms  spent  its  strength  ere 
now  ;  and  Bonaparte  found  henceforth  little  opposition 
to  any  of  his  measures. 

The  two  chambers,  on  breaking  up,  appointed  small 
committees  to  take  counsel  during  the  recess  with  the 
new  heads  of  the  executive ;  and,  in  concert  with 
these,  Bonaparte  and  Sieyes  entered  vigorously  on  the 
great  task  of  restoring  confidence  and  peace  at  home. 
The  confusion  of  the  finances  was  the  most  pressing 
of  many  intolerable  evils  ;  and  the  first  day  was  de- 


1799.]  REFORMS.  Ill 

voted  to  them..  In  lieu  of  forced  loans,  by  which  the 
directory  had  systematically  scourged  the  people,  all 
the  regular  taxes  were  at  once  raised  25  per  cent. ;  and 
the  receipt  and  expenditure  of  the  revenue  arranged 
on  a  business-like  footing.  The  repeal  of  the  "  Law 
of  Hostages" — a  tyrannical  act,  by  which  the  relations 
of  emigrants  were  made  responsible  for  the  behavior 
of  their  exiled  kinsmen, — followed  immediately,  and 
was  received  with  universal  approbation.  A  third 
and  a  bolder  measure  was  the  discarding  of  the  hea- 
then ritual,  and  re-opening  of  the  churches  for  Christian 
worship ;  and  of  this  the  credit  was  wholly  Napoleon's, 
who  had  to  oppose  the  philosophic  prejudices  of  almost 
all  his  colleagues.  He,  in  his  conversations  with  them, 
made  no  attempt  to  represent  himself  as  a  believer  in 
Christianity;  but  stood  on  the  necessity  of  providing 
the  people  with  the  regular  means  of  worship,  wherev- 
er it  is  meant  to  have  a  state  of  tranquillity.  The 
priests  who  chose  to  take  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  govern- 
ment were  re-admitted  to  their  functions  ;  and  this 
wise  measure  was  followed  by  the  adherence  of  not 
less  than  20,000  of  these  ministers  of  religion,  who  had 
hitherto  languished  m  the  prisons  of  France. 

Many  other  judicious  measures  might  be  mentioned 
in  this  place.  Some  emigrants,  cast  on  the  shores  by 
shipwreck,  had  been  imprisoned  and  destined  for  trial 
by  the  directory.  They  were  at  once  set  free  :  and,  in 
like  manner,  La  Fayette  and  other  distinguished  revo- 
lutionists, who  had  been  exiled  for  not  adhering  to  all 
the  wild  notions  of  the  preceding  administrations, 
were  at  once  recalled.  Carnot  was  one  of  these  : 
Bonaparte  forthwith  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the 
war  department ;  and  the  reform  of  the  army  was  pros- 
ecuted with  the  vigor  which  might  have  been  ex- 
pected from  the  joint  skill  and  talent  of  the  provisional 
head  of  the  government  and  this  practised  minister. 
The  confusion  which  had  of  late  prevailed  in  that  de- 
partment was  extreme.  The  government  did  not  even 
know  the  existence  of  regiments  raised  in  the  prov- 
inces :  arms,  clothing,  discipline  in  every  article,  had 


112  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  |_1799 

been  neglected.  The  organization  of  the  army  was 
very  speedily  mended. 

The  insurgent  Chouans  next  claimed  attention  ;  and 
here  the  personal  character  of  Napoleon  gave  him 
advantages  of  the  first  importance.  The  leaders  of 
those  brave  bands  were  disposed  to  consider  such  a 
soldier  as  a  very  different  sort  of  ruler  from  the  pen- 
tarchy  of  the  Louxembourg ;  and  their  admiration  for 
his  person  prepared  them  to  listen  to  his  terms.  The 
first  measures  of  the  new  government  were  obviously 
calculated  to  soothe  their  prejudices,  and  the  general 
display  of  vigor  in  every  branch  of  the  administration 
to  overawe  them.  Chatillon,  D'Antichamp,  Suzannet, 
and  other  royalist  chiefs,  submitted  in  form  ;  and  ever 
afterward  remained  faithful  to  Napoleon.  Bernier,  a 
leading  clergyman  in  La  Vendee,  followed  the  same 
course,  and  was  an  acquisition  of  even  more  value. 
Others  held  out ;  but  were  soon  routed  in  detail,  tried, 
and  executed.  The  appearances  of  returning  tran- 
quillity were  general  and  most  welcome. 

Meanwhile  it  was  necessary  that  the  government 
itself  should  assume  some  permanent  form,  and  this 
was  accordingly  made  a  subject  of  careful  consultation 
between  the  committees  from  the  legislative  bodies  and 
the  consuls.  Sieyes,  who  enjoyed  the  reputation  of 
being  the  greatest  of  scientific  politicians,  proposed  the 
outline  of  a  new  constitution,  but  he  soon  perceived 
that  Napoleon  was  to  be  the  real  creator  of  whatever 
should  be  adopted.  A  constitution  mainly  dictated  by 
him  was  at  length  proclaimed  on  the  14th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1799,  presenting  the  following  principal  features. 

I.  The  male  citizens  who  are  of  age,  and  who  pay 
taxes,  in  every  commune,  shall  choose  a  tenth  of  their 
number  to  be  the  notables  of  the  commune  ;  and  out  of 
these  notables  the  officers  of  the  commune  shall  be  ap- 
pointed. II.  The  notables  of  the  communes  constitu- 
ting a  department  shall  choose,  in  like  manner,  the  tenth 
of  their  number  to  be  the  notables  of  the  department ; 
and  out  of  these  the  officers  of  the  department  shall  be 
appointed.  III.  The  notables  of  all  the  departments 
shall,  in  the  same  way,  choose  the  tenth  of  their  num- 


(799. J  CONSTITUTION    OF    THE    YEAR    VIII.  113 

ber  to  be  notables  of  France ;  and  out  of  these  the 
public  functionaries  of  The  State  shall  be  chosen.  IV. 
Three  assemblies  shall  be  composed  of  persons  chosen 
from  the  notables  of  France,  viz. — 1.  The  Conserva- 
tive Senate,  consisting  (at  first)  of  twenty-four  men, 
of  forty  years  of  age,  to  hold  their  places  for  life,  and 
receive,  each,  a  salary  equal  to  l-20th  of  that  of  the 
chief  consul :  2.  The  Tribunate,  to  be  composed  of 
100  men,  of  twenty-five  years  of  age  and  upwards,  of 
whom  l-5th  go  out  every  year,  but  re-eligible  indefinite- 
ly ;  the  salary  of  each  15,000  francs :  and,  3dly,  The 
Legislative  Senate,  composed  of  300  members,  of  thirty 
years  of  age,  renewable  by  fifths  every  year,  and 
having  salaries  of  10,000  francs.  V.  The  executive 
power  shall  be  vested  in  three  consuls,  chosen  individ- 
ually, as  chief  consul,  second,  and  third ;  the  two 
former  for  ten  years,  the  last  for  five.  VI.  In  order 
that  the  administration  of  affairs  may  have  time  to 
settle  itself,  the  tribunate  and  legislative  senate  shall 
remain  as  first  constituted  for  ten  years,  without  any 
re-elections.  VII.  With  the  same  view  of  avoiding 
discussions  during  the  unsettled  state  of  opinion,  a  ma- 
jority of  the  members  of  the  conservative  senate  are 
for  the  present  appointed  by  the  consuls,  Sieyes  and 
Ducos,  going  out  of  office,  and  the  consuls,  Camba- 
ceres  and  Lebrun,  about  to  come  into  office ;  they 
shall  be  held  to  be  duly  elected,  if  the  public  acquiesce  ; 
and  proceed  to  fill  up  their  own  number  and  to  nomi- 
nate the  members  of  the  tribunate  and  legislative 
senate.  VIII.  The  acts  of  legislation  shall  be  proposed 
by  the  consuls :  the  tribunate  shall  discuss  and  pro- 
pound them  to  the  legislative  senate,  but  not  vote :  the 
legislative  senate  shall  hear  the  tribunate,  and  vote, 
but  not  debate  themselves  ;  and  the  act  thus  discussed 
and  voted,  shall  become  law  on  being  promulgated  by 
the  chief  consul.  IX.  Bonaparte  is  nominated  chief 
consul,  Cambaceres  (minister  of  justice)  second,  and 
Lebrun  third  consul. 

The  circumstance,  perhaps,  which  occasioned  most 
surprise  on  the  promulgation  of  this  constitution,  was 

the  non-appearance  of  the  name  of  Sieyes  in  the  list  of 
8 


114  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800. 

permanent  consuls.  It  is  probable  that  the  Abbe  made 
up  his  mind  to  retire,  so  soon  as  he  found  that  Bona- 
parte was  capable  of  fulfilling,  in  his  own  person,  all  the 
functions  of  a  civil  ruler  of  France.  Howbeit,  the  in- 
genious metaphysician  did  not  disdain  to  accept  of  a 
large  estate  and  pension,  by  way  of  "  public  recom- 
pense"— when  he  withdrew  to  a  situation  of  compara- 
tive obscurity,  as  president  of  the  conservative  senate. 

One  of  Bonaparte's  first  acts  was  to  remove  the  seat 
of  government  from  the  Louxembourg  to  the  old  palace 
of  the  Tuileries,  "  which,"  he  significantly  said  to  his 
colleagues,  "  is  a  good  military  position."  It  was  on 
the  19th  of  February,  1800,  that  the  chief  consul  took 
possession  of  the  usual  residence  of  the  French  kings. 
Those  splendid  halls  were  re-opened  with  much  cere- 
mony, and  immediately  afterward  Napoleon  held  a 
great  review  in  the  Place  du  Carousel.  This  was  the 
first  public  act  of  the  chief  consul.  Shortly  after  he 
appeared  in  his  new  official  costume,  a  dress  of  red  silk, 
and  a  black  stock.  Some  one  observed  to  him  that 
this  last  article  was  out  of  keeping  with  the  rest :  "  No 
matter,"  answered  he,  smiling,  "a  small  remnant  of  the 
military  character  will  do  us  no  harm." 

While  Napoleon  was  thus  rapidly  consolidating  the 
elements  of  a  new  monarchy  in  his  own  person — the 
Bourbonists,  at  home  and  abroad,  had  still  nourished  the 
hope  that  his  ultimate  purpose  was  the  restoration  of 
the  rightful  king  of  France.  Very  shortly  after  the 
18th  Brumaire,  one  of  the 'foreign  ambassadors  resident 
at  Paris  had  even  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  private 
audience  for  Messieurs  Hyde  de  Neuville  and  Dandigne, 
two  agents  of  the  exiled  princes.  Bonaparte  received 
them  at  night  in  a  small  closet  of  the  Tuileries,  and 
requested  them  to  speak  with  frankness.  "  You,  sir," 
they  said,  "  have  now  in  your  hands  the  power  of  re- 
establishing the  throne,  and  restoring  to  it  its  legitimate 
master.  Tell  us  what  are  your  intentions  ;  and,  if  they 
accord  with  ours,  we,  and  all  the  Vendeans,  are  ready 
to  take  your  commands."  He  replied,  that  the  return 
of  the  Bourbons  could  not  be  accomplished  without 
enormous  slaughter;  that  his  wish  was  to  forget  the 


1800.]  CHIEF    CONSUL    OF    FRANCE.  115 

past,  and  to  accept  the  services  of  all  who  were  willing 
henceforth  to  follow  the  general  will  of  the  nation ;  but 
that  he  would  treat  with  none  who  were  not  disposed 
to  renounce  all  correspondence  with  the  Bourbons  and 
the  foreign  enemies  of  the  country.  The  conference 
lasted  half  an  hour ;  and  the  agents  withdrew  with  a 
fixed  sense  that  Bonaparte  would  never  come  over  to 
their  side.  Nevertheless,  as  it  will  appear  hereafter, 
the  Bourbons  themselves  did  not  as  yet  altogether  de- 
spair ;  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  various  measures  of 
the  provisional  government  were  not  unlikely  to  keep 
up  their  delusive  hopes.  They  thought  they  could  per- 
ceive monarchical  tendencies  ia.it,  but  shrewd  observers 
perceived  clearly  in  whose  favor  these,  were  designed 
to  operate.  Bonaparte  had  his  eye  on  everything,  and 
was  not  without  reference  to  himself  in  what  he  de- 
signed should  be  the  future  operation  of  the  government. 
When  some  of  his  colleagues  made  a  last  effort  to  cir- 
cumscribe his  power,  by  urging  on  him  the  necessity 
of  his  immediately  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
armies  in  the  field ;  expecting,  no  doubt,  great  advan- 
tages, could  they  remove  him  from  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, at  the  time  when  the  new  machinery  was  getting 
into  a  regular  course  of  motion.  He  sternly  resisted 
all  such  suggestions.  "  I  am  chief  consul,"  said  he, 
biting  his  nails  to  the  quick,  "  I  will  remain  in  Paris." 
And  it  was,  indeed,  most  necessary  for  his  success 
that  he  should  remain  there  at  this  critical  epoch :  for, 
in  the  arrangement  of  every  branch  of  the  new  gov- 
ernment, he  had  systematically  sought  for  his  own 
security  in  balancing  against  each  other  the  lovers  of 
opposite  sets  of  principles — men,  who,  by  cordially  coal- 
escing together,  might  still  have  undone  him ;  or,  by 
carrying  their  animosities  to  extremity,  overturned  the 
whole  fabric  of  his  manufacture.  It  was  thus  that  he 
had  chosen  one  consul  from  the  republican  party,  and 
another  from  the  royalist ;  either  of  whom  might,  in  his 
absence,  have  been  tempted  to  undermine  his  sway ; 
whereas  both,  overawed  by  his  presence,  proved  emi- 
nently serviceable  in  drawing  over  to  the  interests  of 
the  chief  consul  innumerable  persons,  of  their  own 


116  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1800. 

ways  of  thinking  originally,  but  no  longer  such  zealous 
theorists  as  to  resist  the  arguments  of  self-interest — 
those  strong  springs  of  hope  and  fear,  of  both  of  which 
Napoleon,  while  at  the  Tuileries,  held  the  master-key. 
It  was  thus,  also,  that  in  forming  his  ministry,  he  group- 
ed together  men,  each  of  whom  detested  or  despised  the 
others ;  but  each  unquestionably  fitted,  in  the  highest 
degree,  for  the  particular  office  assigned  to  him ;  and 
each,  therefore,  likely  to  labor  in  his  own  department, 
communicating  little  with  his  colleagues,  and  looking 
continually  to  the  one  hand  that  had  invested  him  with 
his  share  of  power.     It  was  in  vain  that  one  party  ob- 
jected to  the  weathercock  politics  of  Talleyrand.     "  Be 
it  so,"  answered  the  chief  consul ;  "  but  he  is  the  ablest 
minister  for  foreign  affairs  in  our  choice,  and  it  shall 
be  my  care  that  he  exerts  his  abilities."     Carnot,  in 
like  manner,  was  objected  to  as  a  firm   republican. 
"  Republican  or  not,"  answered  Napoleon,  "  he  is  one 
of  the  last  Frenchmen  that  would  wish  to  see  France 
dismembered.     Let  us  avail  ourselves  of  his  unrivalled 
talents  in  the  war  department,  while  he  is  willing  to 
place  them  at  our  command."     All  parties  equally  cried 
out  against  the  falsehood,  duplicity,  and,  in  fact,  avowed 
profligacy  of  Fouche.      "Fouche,"  said   Bonaparte, 
"  and  Fouche  alone,  is  able  to  conduct  the  ministry  of 
the  police  :  he  alone  has  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all  the 
factions  and  intrigues  which  have  been  spreading  misery 
through  France.     We  cannot  create  men :  we  must 
take  such  as  we  find  ;  and  it  is  easier  to  modify  by  cir- 
cumstances the  feelings  and  conduct  of  an  able  servant 
than  to  supply  his  place."     Thus  did  he  systematically 
make  use  of  whatever  was  willing  to  be  useful — count- 
ing on  the  ambition  of  one  man,  the  integrity  of  a  sec- 
ond, and  the  avarice  of  a  third,  with  equal  confidence ; 
and  justified,  for  the  present  time  (which  was  all  he  was 
anxious  about),  by  the  results  of  each  of  the  experi- 
ments in  question. 

It  is  impossible  to  refuse  the  praise  of  consummate 
prudence  and  skill  to  those,  and,  indeed,  to  all  the  ar- 
rangements of  Bonaparte,  at  this  great  crisis  of  his  his- 
tory. The  secret  of  his  whole  scheme  is  unfolded  in 


1800.]  FIRST    CONSUL.  117 

his  own  memorable  words  to  Sieyes  :  "  We  are  creating 
a  new  era — of  the  past  we  must  forget  the  bad,  and 
remember  only  the  good.''  From  the  day  when  the 
consular  government  was  formed,  a  new  epoch  was  to 
date.  Submit  to  that  government,  and  no  man  need 
fear  that  his  former  acts,  far  less  opinions,  should  prove 
any  obstacle  to  his  security — nay,  to  his  advancement. 
Henceforth  the  regicide  must  dismiss  all  dread  of  Bour- 
bon revenge  ;  the  purchaser  of  forfeited  property,  of 
being  sacrificed  to  the  returning  nobles  ;  provided  only 
they  chose  to  sink  their  theories  and  submit.  To  the 
royalist,  on  the  other  hand,  Bonaparte  held  out  the 
prospect,  not  indeed  of  Bourbon  restoration,  but  of  the 
re-establishment  of  a  monarchical  form  of  government, 
and  all  the  concomitants  of  a  court :  for  the  church- 
men the  temples  were  at  once  opened ;  and  the  re- 
building of  the  hierarchical  fabric,  in  all  its  wealth, 
splendor,  and  power,  was  offered  in  perspective.  Mean- 
while, the  great  and  crying  evil,  from  which  the  revo- 
lution had  really  sprung,  was  forever  abolished.  The 
odious  distinction  of  castes  was  at  an  end.  Political 
liberty  existed,  perhaps,  no  longer ;  but  civil  liberty — 
the  equality  of  all  Frenchmen  in  the  eye  of  the  law — • 
was  established.  All  men  henceforth  must  contribute 
to  the  state  in  the  proportion  of  their  means  ;  all  men 
appeal  to  the  same  tribunals ;  and  no  man,  however 
meanly  born,  had  it  to  say,  that  there  was  one  post  of 
power  or  dignity  in  France  to  which  talent  and  labor 
never  could  elevate  him. 

Much  had  been  already  done  towards  the  internal 
tranquillization  of  France  ;  but  it  was  obvious  that  the 
result  could  not  be  perfect  until  the  war,  which  had  so 
long  raged  on  two  frontiers  of  the  country,  should  have 
found  a  termination.  The  fortune  of  the  last  two  years 
had  been  far  different  from  that  of  the  glorious  cam- 
paigns which  ended  in  the  treaty — or  armistice,  as  it 
might  more  truly  be  named — of  Campo-Formio.  The 
Austrians  had  recovered  the  north  of  Italy,  and  already 
menaced  the  Savoy  frontier,  designing  to  march  into 
Provence,  and  there  support  a  new  insurrection  of  the 
royalists.  The  force  opposed  to  them  in  that  quarter 


118  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800 

was  much  inferior  in  numbers,  and  composed  of  the 
relics  of  armies  beaten  over  and  over  again  by  Suwar- 
row.  The  Austrians  and  French  were  more  nearly 
balanced  on  the  Rhine  frontier ;  but  even  there,  was 
ample  room  for  anxiety.  On  the  whole,  the  grand  atti- 
tude in  which  Bonaparte  had  left  the  republic,  when  he 
embarked  for  Egypt,  was  exchanged  for  one  of  a  far 
humbler  description ;  and,  in  fact,  the  general  disheart- 
ening of  the  nation,  by  reason  of  these  reverses,  had 
been  of  signal  service  to  Napoleon's  ambition.  If  a 
strong  hand  was  wanted  at  home,  the  necessity  of  hav- 
ing a  general  who  could  bring  back  victory  to  the  tri- 
color banners  in  the  field,  had  been  ,not  less  deeply 
felt.  And  hence  the  decisive  revolution  of  Brumaire. 

Of  the  allies  of  Austria,  meanwhile,  one  had  virtually 
abandoned  her.  The  emperor  Paul,  of  Russia,  taking 
offence  at  the  style  in  which  his  army  under  Suwarrow 
had  been  supported,  withdrew  it  altogether  from  the 
field  of  its  victories ;  and  that  hair-brained  autocrat, 
happening  to  take  up  a  sort  of  personal  admiration  for 
Bonaparte,  was  not  likely  for  the  present  to  be  brought 
back  into  the  Antigallican  league.  England  appeared 
steadfast  to  their  cause  ;  but  it  remained  to  be  proved 
whether  the  failure  of  her  expedition  to  Holland  under 
the  duke  of  York  or  the  signal  success  of  her  naval  arms 
in  the  Mediterranean  under  lord  Nelson,  had- had  the 
greater  influence  on  the  feelings  of  the  government  of 
St.  James.  In  the  former  case.  Napoleon  might  expect 
to  find  his  advances  towards  a  negotiation,  in  his  new 
character  of  chief  consul,  received  with  better  disposi- 
tion than  his  predecessors  of  the  directory  had  extended 
to  the  last  overtures  of  the  English  cabinet  tendered  by 
lord  Malmesbury.  He  resolved  to  have  the  credit  of 
making  the  experiment  at  least,  ere  the  campaign  with 
the  Austrians  should  open  ;  and,  discarding  the  usual 
etiquettes  of  diplomatic  intercourse,  addressed  a  letter  to 
king  George  III.  in  person,  almost  immediately  after 
the  new  consulate  was  established  in  the  Tuileries,  in 
these  terms:  (Dec.  25,  1799.) 


1800.]  LETTER    TO    KING    GEORGE    III.  119 

"  French  Republic — Sovereignty  of  the  People — 
\  Liberty  and  Equality." 

"  Bonaparte,  First  Consul  of  the  Republic,  to  his  Maj- 
esty the  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

t(  Called  by  the  wishes  of  the  French  nation  to  occu- 
py the  first  magistracy  of  the  republic,  I  have  thought 
proper,  in  commencing  the  discharge  of  its  duties,  to 
communicate  the  event  directly  to  your  majesty. 

"  Must  the  war,  which  for  eight  years  has  ravaged  the 
four  quarters  of  the  world,  be  eternal  ?  Is  there  no 
room  for  accommodation  ?  How  can  the  two  most  en- 
lightened nations  of  Europe,  stronger  and  more  power- 
ful than  is  necessary  for  their  safety  and  independence, 
sacrifice  commercial  advantages,  internal  prosperity, 
and  domestic  happiness,  to  vain  ideas  of  grandeur  ? 
Whence  comes  it  that  they  do  not  feel  peace  to  be  the 
first  of  wants  as  well  as  of  glories  ?  These  sentiments 
cannot  be  new  to  the  heart  of  your  majesty,  who  rule 
over  a  free  nation  with  no  other  view  than  to  render  it 
happy.  Your  majesty  will  see  in  this  overture  only  my 
sincere  desire  to  contribute  effectually,  for  the  second 
time,  to  a  general  pacification — -.by  a  prompt  step  taken 
in  confidence,  and  freed  from  those  forms,  which,  how- 
ever necessary  to  disguise  the  apprehensions  of  feeble 
states,  only  serve  to  discover  in  the  powerful  a  mutual 
wish  to  deceive. 

"  France  and  England,  abusing  their  strength,  may 
long  defer  the  period  of  its  utter  exhaustion;  but  I 
will  venture  to  say,  that  the  fate  of  all  civilized  nations 
is  concerned  in  the  termination  of  a  war,  the  flames  of 
which  are  raging  throughout  the  whole  world.  I  have 
the  honor  to  be,  &c.  &c.  &c. 

'*  BONAPARTE." 

According  to  the  English  constitution,  the  public 
acts  of  the  king  must  all  be  done  through  the  hands  of 
responsible  ministers,  and  George  III.  therefore  could 
not  answer  this  letter  personally.  The  reply  was  an 
official  note  from  lord  Grenville,  then  secretary  of  state 
for  the  department  of  foreign  affairs,  to  Talleyrand. 
It  stated  "  that  the  king  of  England  had  no  object  in  the 


120  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1800. 

war  but  the  security  of  his  own  dominions,  his  allies, 
and  Europe  in  general :  he  would  seize  the  first  favor- 
able opportunity  to  make  peace — at  present  he  could 
see  none.  The  same  general  assertions  of  pacific  in- 
tentions had  proceeded,  successively,  from  all  the  rev- 
olutionary governments  of  France ;  and  they  had  all 
persisted  in  conduct  directly  and  notoriously  the  oppo- 
site of  their  language.  Switzerland,  Italy,  Holland, 
Germany,  Egypt, — what  country  had  been  safe  from 
French  aggression  ?  The  war  must  continue  until  the 
causes  which  gave  it  birth  ceased  to  exist.  The  resto- 
ration of  the  exiled  royal  family  would  be  the  easiest 
means  of  giving  confidence  to  the  other  powers  of  Eu- 
rope. The  king  of  England  by  no  means  pretended  to 
dictate  anything  as  to  the  internal  policy  of  France ; 
but  he  was  compelled  to  say,  that  he  saw  nothing  in 
the  circumstances  under  which  the  new  government 
had  been  set  up,  or  the  principles  it  professed  to  act 
upon,  which  could  tend  to  make  foreign  powers  regard 
it  as  either  more  stable  or  more  trustworthy  than  the 
transitory  forms  it  had  supplanted." 

Such  was  the  tenor  of  lord  Grenville's  famous  note. 
It  gave  rise  to  an  animated  discussion  in  both  houses 
immediately  on  the  meeting  of  the  British  parliament ; 
and,  in  both,  the  conduct  of  the  ministry  was  approved 
by  very  great  majorities.  When,  however,  the  finan- 
cial preparations  were  brought  forward,  and  it  turned 
out  that  Russia  was  no  longer  to  be  subsidized — or,  in 
other  words,  had  abandoned  the  league  against  France 
— the  prospects  of  the  war  were  generally  considered  as 
much  less  favorable  than  they  had  been  during  this 
discussion.  In  the  mean  time,  the  French  government 
put  forth  by  way  of  commentary  on  lord  Grenville's 
state  paper,  a  pretended  letter  from  the  unfortunate  heir 
of  the  House  of  Stuart  to  George  III.,  demanding  from 
him  the  throne  of  England,  which,  now  that  the  princi- 

5le  of  legitimacy    seemed  to  be    recognized  at    St. 
ames's.  there  could  (said  the  pasquinade)  be  no  fair 
pretext  for  refusing.     Some  other  trifles  of  the  same 
character  might  be  noticed  ;  but  the  true  answer  to  Mr. 
Pitt  was  the  campaign  of  Marengo. 


1800.]       THE  FOUR  ARMIES  OF  FRANCE.         121 

Bonaparte  rejoiced  cordially  in  the  result  of  his  infor- 
mal negotiation.  It  was  his  policy,  even  more  clearly 
than  it  had  been  that  of  his  predecessors,  to  buy  secu- 
rity at  home  by  battle  and  victory  abroad.  The  na- 
tional pride  had  been  deeply  wounded  during  his  ab- 
sence ;  and  something  must  be  done  in  Europe,  worthy 
of  the  days  of  Lodi,  and  Rivoli,  and  Tagliamento,  ere 
he  could  hope  to  be  seated  firmly  on  his  throne.  On 
receiving  the  answer  of  the  British  minister,  he  said  to 
Talleyrand  (rubbing  his  hands,  as  was  his  custom 
when  much  pleased),  "  it  could  not  have  been  more  fa- 
vorable." On  the  same  day,  the  7th  of  January 
(just  three  days  after  the  date  of  lord  Grenville's  note), 
the  first  consul  issued  his  edict  for  the  formation  of  an 
army  of  reserve,  consisting  of  all  the  veterans  who  had 
ever  served,  and  a  new  levy  of  30,000  conscripts. 

At  this  time,  France  had  four  armies  on  her  frontiers  : 
that  of  the  north,  under  Brune,  watched  the  partisans 
of  the  House  of  Orange  in  Holland,  and  guarded  those 
coasts  against  any  new  invasion  from  England  ;  the 
defeat  of  the  duke  of  York  had  enabled  the  government 
to  reduce  its  strength  considerably  :  the  second  was  the 
army  of  the  Danube,  under  Jourdan,  which,  after  the 
defeat  at  Stockach,  had  been  obliged  to  repass  the 
Rhine  :  the  third,  under  Massena,  styled  the  army  of 
Helvetia,  had  been  compelled  in  the  preceding  cam- 
paign to  evacuate  great  part  of  Switzerland  ;  but,  gam- 
ing the  battle  of  Zurich  against  the  Russians,  now  reoc- 
cupied  the  whole  of  that  republic  :  the  fourth  was  that 
broken  remnant  which  still  called  itself  the  army  of 
Italy.  After  the  disastrous  conflict  of  Genola,  it  had 
rallied  in  disorder  on  the  Apennine  and  the  heights  of 
Genoa,  where  the  spirit  of  the  troops  was  already  so 
much  injured,  that  whole  battalions  deserted  en  masse, 
and  retired  behind  the  Var.  Thier  distress,  in  truth, 
was  extreme  ;  for  they  had  lost  all  means  of  communica- 
tion with  the  valley  of  the  Po,  and  the  English  fleet 
effectually  blockaded  the  whole  coasts  both  of  Pro- 
vence and  Liguria  ;  so  that,  pent  up  among  barren 
rocks,  they  suffered  the  hardships  and  privations  of 


a  beleaguered     arrison. 


r 


122  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800 

The  chief  consul  sent  Massena  to  assume  the  com 
mand  of  the  "army  of  Italy  ;"  and  issued,  on  that  oc- 
casion, a  general  order,  which  had  a  magical  effect  on 
the  minds  of  the  soldiery.  Massena  was  highly  esteem- 
ed among  them :  and,  after  his  arrival  at  Genoa,  the 
deserters  flocked  back  rapidly  to  their  standards.  At 
the  same  time,  Bonaparte  ordered  Moreau  to  assume 
the  command  of  the  two  corps  of  the  Danube  and 
Helvetia,  and  consolidate  them  into  one  great  "  army 
of  the  Rhine."  Lastly,  the  rendezvous  of  the  "  army 
of  reserve"  was  appointed  for  Dijon  :  a  central  position, 
from  which  either  Massena  or  Moreau  might,  as  cir- 
cumstances demanded,  be  supported  and  reinforced  ; 
but  which  Napoleon  really  designed  to  serve  for  a 
cloak  to  his  main  purpose.  For  he  had  already,  in  con- 
cert with  Carnot,  sketched  the  plan  of  that  which  is 
generally  considered  as  at  once  the  most  daring  and 
the  most  masterly  of  all  the  campaigns  of  the  war. 

In  placing  Moreau  at  the  head  of  the  -army  of  the 
Rhine,  full  150,000  strong,  and  out  of  all  comparison 
the  best  disciplined  as  well  as  largest  force  of  the  re- 
public, Bonaparte  exhibited  a  noble  superiority  to  all 
feelings  of  personal  jealousy.  That  general's  reputation 
approached  the  most  nearly  to  his  own  ;  but  his  talents 
justified  this  reputation,  and  the  chief  consul  thought 
of  nothing  but  the  -best  means  of  accomplishing  the 
purposes  of  the  joint  campaign.  While  this  service 
was  given  to  Moreau,  the  chief  consul  was  not  without 
a  daring  plan  for  his  own  action. 

He  had  resolved  upon  conducting  in  person  one  of 
the  most  adventurous  enterprises  recorded  in  the  history 
of  war.  The  formation  of  the  army  of  reserve  at  Dijon 
was  a  mere  deceit.  A  numerous  staff,  indeed,  assembled 
in  that  town  ;  and  the  preparation  of  the  munitions  of 
war  proceeded  there  and  elsewhere  with  the  utmost 
energy :  but  the  troops  collected  at  Dijon  were  few  ; 
and, — it  being  universally  circulated  and  believed,  that 
they  were  the  force  meant  to  re-establish  the  once 
glorious  army  of  Italy,  by  marching  to  the  head-quar- 
ters of  Massena  at  Genoa, — the  Austrians  received  the 
accounts  of  their  numbers  and  appearance,  not  only 


1800.]          CAMPAIGN  OF  MARENGO.  123 

with  indifference,  but  with  derision.  Bonaparte,  mean- 
while, had  spent  three  months  in  recruiting  his  armies 
throughout  the  interior  of  France ;  and  the  troops,  by 
means  of  which  it  was  his  purpose  to  change  the  face 
of  affairs  beyond  the  Alps,  were  already  marching  by 
different  routes,  each  detachment  in  total  ignorance  of 
the  others'  destination,  upon  the  territory  of  Switzer- 
land. To  that  quarter  Bonaparte  had  already  sent 
forward  Berthier,  the  most  confidential  of  his  military 
friends,  and  other  officers  of  the  highest  skill,  with  orders 
to  reconnoitre  the  various  passes  in  the  great  Alpine 
chain,  and  make  every  other  preparation  for  the  move- 
ment, of  which  they  alone  were,  as  yet,  in  the  secret. 

The  statesmen  who  ventured,  even  after  Brumaire, 
to  oppose  the  investiture  of  Bonaparte  with  the  whole 
power  of  the  state,  had,  at  first  (as  we  have  seen),  at- 
tempted to  confine  him  to  the  military  department ;  or 
so  arrange  it,  that  his  orders,  as  to  civil  affairs,  should, 
at  least,  not  be  absolute.  Failing  in  this,  they  then 
proposed  that  the  chief  consul  should  be  incapable  of 
heading  an  army  in  the  field,  without  abdicating  pre- 
viously his  magistracy :  and,  to  their  surprise,  Napoleon 
at  once  acceded  to  a  proposition  which,  it  had  been 
expected,  would  rouse  his  indignation.  It  now  turned 
out  how  much  the  saving  clause  in  question  was  worth. 
The  chief  consul  could  not,  indeed,  be  general-in-chief 
of  an  army  ;  but  he  could  appoint  whom  he  pleased  to 
that  post ;  and  there  was  no  law  against  his  being  pres- 
ent, in  his  own  person,  as  a  spectator  of  the  campaign. 
It  signified  little  that  a  Berthier  should  write  himself 
commander,  when  a  Napoleon  was  known  to  be  in  the 
camp. 

It  was  now  time  that  the  great  project  should  be 
realized.  The  situation  of  the  "  army  of  Italy3'  was 
become  most  critical.  After  a  variety  of  petty  en- 
gagements, its  general  saw  his  left  wing  (under  Suchet) 
wholly  cut  off  from  his  main  body ;  and,  while  Suchet 
was  forced  to  retire  behind  the  Var,  where  his  troops 
had  the  utmost  difficulty  in  presenting  any  serious 
opposition  to  the  Austrians,  Massena  had  been  com- 
pelled to  throw  himself  with  the  remainder  into  Genoa. 


124  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1800. 

In  that  city  he  was  speedily  blockaded  by  the  Austrian 
general  Ott;  while  the  imperial  commander-in-chief, 
Melas,  advanced,  with  30,000,  upon  Nice — of  which 
place  he  took  possession  on  the  llth  of  May.  The 
Austrians,  having  shut  up  Massena,  and  well  knowing 
the  feebleness  of  Suchet's  division,  were  in  a  delirium 
of  joy.  The  gates  of  France  appeared,  at  length,  to  be 
open  before  them ;  and  it  was  not  such  an  army  of  re- 
serve as  had  excited  the  merriment  of  their  spies  at 
Dijon  that  could  hope  to  withstand  them  in  their  long 
meditated  march  on  Provence — where  Pichegru,  as 
they  supposed,  was  prepared  to  assume  the  command 
of  a  numerous  body  of  royalist  insurgents,  as  soon  as 
he  should  receive  intelligence  of  their  entrance  into 
France.  But  they  were  soon  to  hear  news  of  another 
complexion  from  whence  they  least  expected  it — from 
behind  them. 

The  chief  consul  remained  in  Paris  until  he  received 
Berthier's  decisive  despatch  from  Geneva.  He  instant- 
ly quitted  the  capital ;  and,  on  the  7th  of  May,  appear- 
ed at  Dijon,  where  he  reviewed,  in  great  form,  some  7 
or  8000  raw  and  half-clad  troops,  and  committed  them 
to  the  care  of  Brune.  The  spies  of  Austria  reaped 
new  satisfaction  from  this  consular  review :  meanwhile, 
Napoleon  had  halted  but  two  hours  at  Dijon ;  and, 
travelling  all  night,  arrived,  the  next  day,  at  Geneva. 
Here  he  was  met  by  Marescot,  who  had  been  employ- 
ed in  exploring  the  wild  passes  of  the  Great  St.  Ber- 
nard, and  received  from  him  an  appalling  picture  of 
the  difficulties  of  marching  an  army  by  that  route  into 
Italy.  "  Is  it  possible  to  pass  ?"  said  Napoleon,  cutting 
the  engineer's  narrative  short.  "  The  thing  is  barely 
possible,"  answered  Marescot.  "  Very  well,"  said  the 
chief  consul,  "  en  avant — let  us  proceed." 

While  the  Austrians  were  thinking  only  of  the  fron- 
tier where  Suchet  commanded  an  enfeebled  and  dis- 
pirited division, — destined,  as  they  doubted  net,  to  be 
reinforced  by  the  army,  such  as  it  was,  of  Dijon, — the 
chief  consul  had  resolved  to  penetrate  into  Italy,  as 
Hannibal  had  done  of  old,  through  ail  tiie  dangers  and 
difficulties  of  the  great  Alps  themselves.  The  march 


1800.]          THE  GREAT  ST.  BERNARD.  125 

on  the  Var  and  Genoa  might  have  been  executed  with 
comparative  ease,  and  might,  in  all  likelihood,  have  led 
to  victory  ;  but  mere  victory  would  not  suffice.  It 
was  urgently  necessary  that  the  name  of  Bonaparte 
should  be  surrounded  with  some  blaze  of  almost  super- 
natural renown ;  and  his  plan  for  purchasing  this 
splendor  was  to  rush  down  from  the  Alps,  at  whatever 
hazard,  upon  the  rear  of  Melas,  cut  off  all  his  commu- 
nications with  Austria,  and  then  force  him  to  a  con- 
flict, in  which,  Massena  and  Suchet  being  on  the  other 
side  of  him,  reverse  must  needs  be  ruin. 

For  the  treble  purpose  of  more  easily  collecting  a 
sufficient  stock  of  provisions  for  the  march,  of  making 
its  accomplishment  more  rapid,  and  of  perplexing  the 
enemy  on  its  termination,  Napoleon  determined  that 
his  army  should  pass  in  four  divisions,  by  as  many 
separate  routes.  The  left  wing,  under  Moncey,  con- 
sisting of  15,000  detached  from  the  army  of  Moreau, 
was  ordered  to  debouche  by  the  way  of  St.  Gothard. 
The  corps  of  Thureau,  5000  strong,  took  the  direction 
of  Mount  Cenis  :  that  of  Chabran,  of  similar  strength, 
moved  by  the  Little  St.  Bernard.  Of  the  main  body, 
consisting  of  35,000,  the  chief  consul  himself  took  care  ; 
and  he  reserved  for  them  the  gigantic  task  of  sur- 
mounting, with  the  artillery,  the  huge  barriers  of  the 
Great  St.  Bernard.  Thus'  along  the  Alpine  chain — 
from  the  sources  of  the  Rhine  and  the  Rhone  to  Isere 
and  Durance — about  60,000  men,  in  all,  lay  prepared 
for  the  adventure.  It  must  be  added,  if  we  would  form 
a  fair  conception  of  the  enterprise,  that  Napoleon  well 
knew  not  one  third  of  these  men  had  ever  seen  a  shot 
fired  in  earnest. 

The  difficulties  encountered  by  Moncey,  Thureau, 
and  Chabran,  will  be  sufficiently  understood  from  the 
narrative  of  Bonaparte's  own  march.  From  the  15th 
to  the  18th  of  May  all  his  columns  were  put  in  motion  : 
Lannes,  with  the  advanced  guard,  clearing  the  way 
before  them  ;  the  general,  Berthier,  and  the  chief  con- 
sul himself  superintending  the  rear-guard,  which,  as 
having  with  it  the  artillery,  was  the  object  of  highest 
importance.  At  St.  Pierre  all  semblance  of  a  road 


126  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1800. 

disappeared.  Thenceforth  an  army,  horse  and  foot, 
laden  with  all  the  munitions  of  a  campaign,  a  park  of 
forty  field-pieces  included,  were  to  be  urged  up  and 
along  airy  ridges  of  rock  and  eternal  snow,  where  the 
goatherd,  the  hunter  of  the  chamois,  and  the  outlaw- 
smuggler  are  alone  accustomed  to  venture  ;  amid  pre- 
cipices, where  to  slip  a  foot  is  death;  beneath  glaciers 
from  which  the  percussion  of  a  musket-shot  is  often 
sufficient  to  hurl  an  avalanche ;  across  bottomless 
chasms  caked  over  with  frost  or  snow-drift ;  and 
breathing 

"  The  difficult  air  of  the  iced  mountain  top, 
Where  the  birds  dare  not  build,  nor  insect's  wing 
Flit  o'er  the  herbless  granite."* 

The  transport  of  the  artillery  and  ammunition  was 
the  most  difficult  point ;  and  to  this,  accordingly,  the 
chief  consul  gave  his  personal  superintendence.  The 
guns  were  dismounted,  grooved  into  the  trunks  of 
trees  hollowed  out  so  as  to  suit  each  calibre,  and  then 
dragged  on  by  sheer  strength  of  muscle — not  less 
than  a  hundred  soldiers  being  sometimes  harnessed  to  a 
single  cannon.  The  carriages  and  wheels,  being  taken 
to  pieces,  were  slung  on  poles,  and  borne  on  men's 
shoulders.  The  powder  and  shot,  packed  into  boxes 
of  fir-wood,  formed  the  lading  of  all  mules  that  could 
be  collected  over  a  wide  range  of  the  Alpine  country. 
These  preparations  had  been  made  during  the  week 
that  elapsed  between  Bonaparte's  arrival  at  Geneva 
and  th'e  commencement  of  Lannes's  march.  He  him- 
self travelled  sometimes  on  a  mule,  but  mostly  on  foot, 
cheering  on  the  soldiers  who  had  the  burden  of  the 
great  guns.  The  fatigue  undergone  is  not  to  be  de- 
scribed. The  men  in  front  durst  not  halt  to  breathe, 
because  the  least  stoppage  there  might  have  thrown 
the  column  behind  into  confusion,  on  the  brink  of 
deadly  precipices  ;  and  those  in  the  rear  had  to  floun- 
der, knee-deep,  through  snow  and  ice  trampled  into 
sludge  by  the  feet  and  hoofs  of  the  preceding  divisions. 
Happily,  the  march  of  Napoleon  was  not  harassed,  like 

*  Byron's  Manfred. 


1800.]         THE  GREAT  ST.  BERNARD.  127 

that  of  Hannibal,  by  the  assaults  of  living  enemies. 
The  mountaineers,  on  the  contrary,  flocked  in  to  reap 
the  liberal  rewards  which  he  offered  to  all  who  were 
willing  to  lighten  the  drudgery  of  his  troops. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  Napoleon  slept  at  the  convent 
of  St.  Maurice  ;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  four  following 
days,  the  whole  army  passed  the  Great  St.  Bernard. 
It  was  on  the  20th  that  Bonaparte  himself  halted  an 
hour  at  the  convent  of  the  Hospitallers,  which  stands 
on  the  summit  of  this  mighty  mountain.  The  good 
fathers  of  the  monastery  had  furnished  every  soldier  as 
he  passed  with  a  luncheon  of  bread  and  cheese  and  a 
glass  of  wine ;  and,  for  this  seasonable  kindness,  they 
received  the  warm  acknowledgments  of  the  chief.  It 
was  here  that  he  took  his  leave  of  a  peasant  youth,  who 
had  walked  by  him,  as  his  guide,  all  the  way  from  the 
convent  of  St.  Maurice.  Napoleon  conversed  freely 
with  the  young  man,  and  was  much  interested  with  his 
simplicity.  At  parting  Bonaparte  asked  the  guide 
some  particulars  about  his  personal  situation ;  and,  hav- 
ing heard  his  reply,  gave  him  money  and  a  billet  to  the 
head  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Maurice.  The  peasant 
delivered  it  accordingly,  and  was  surprised  to  find  that, 
in  consequence  of  a  scrap  of  writing  which  he  could 
not  read,  his  worldly  comforts  were  to  be  permanently 
increased.  The  object  of  this  generosity  remembered, 
nevertheless*,  but  little  of  his  conversation  with  the 
consul.  He  described  Napoleon  as  being  "  a  very 
dark  man"  (this  was  the  effect  of  the  Syrian  sun),  and 
having  an  eye  that,  notwithstanding  his  affability,  h6 
could  not  encounter  without  a  sense  of  fear.  The  only 
saying  of  the  hero  which  he  treasured  in  his  memory 
was,  "  I  have  spoiled  a  hat  among  your  mountains  : 
well,  I  shall  find  a  new  one  on  the  other  side." — Thus 
spoke  Napoleon,  wringing  the  rain  from  his  covering 
as  he  approached  the  hospice  of  St.  Bernard. — The 
guide  described,  however,  very  strikingly,  the  effects 
of  Bonaparte's  appearance  and  voice,  when  any  obsta- 
cle checked  the  advance  of  his  soldiery  along  that  fear- 
ful wilderness  which  is  called,  emphatically,  "  The 
Valley  of  Desolation."  A  single  look  or  word  was 


128  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800 

commonly  sufficient  to  set  all  in  motion  again.  But  if 
the  way  presented  some  new  and  apparently  insupe- 
rable difficulty,  the  consul  bade  the  drums  beat  and  the 
trumpets  sound,  as  if  for  the  charge ;  and  this  never 
failed.  Of  such  gallant  temper  were  the  spirits  which 
Napoleon  had  at  command,  and  with  such  admirable 
skill  did  he  wield  them ! 

On  the  16th,  the  vanguard,  under  Lannes,  reached 
the  beautiful  vale  of  Aosta,  and  the  other  divisions 
descended  rapidly  on  their  footsteps.  This  part  of  the 
progress  was  not  less  difficult  than  the  ascent  before. 
The  horses,  mules,  and  guns  were  to  be  led  down  one 
slippery  steep  after  another — and  we  may  judge  with 
what  anxious  care,  since  Napoleon  himself  was  once 
contented  to  slide  nearly  a  hundred  yards  together, 
seated. 

On  the  17th,  Lannes  arrived  at  Chatillon,  where 
he  attacked  and  defeated  a  corps  of  5000  Austrians 
— who  received  the  onset  of  a  French  division  in  that 
quarter  with  about  as  much  surprise  as  if  an  enemy 
had  dropped  on  them  from  the  clouds.  Every  diffi- 
culty now  seemed  to  be  surmounted,  and  corps  aftei 
corps  came  down  into  the  plentiful  and  verdant  valley, 
full  of  joy.  But  suddenly,  the  march  of  the  vanguard 
was  arrested  by  an  obstacle  unforeseen,  or  at  least,  griev- 
ously under-estimated.  Midway  between  Aosta  and 
Ivrea,  the  Dora  flows  through  a  defile,  not  more 
than  fifty  yards  in  width :  the  heights  on  either 
hand  rise  precipitous ;  and  in  the  midst  an  abrupt 
conical  rock,  crowned  with  the  fortress  of  St.  Bard, 
entirely  commands  the  river  and  a  small  walled 
town,  through  the  heart  of  which  lies  the  only  pas- 
sage. Lannes  having  vainly  attempted  to  force 
the  place  by  a  coup  de  main,  a  panic  arose,  and, 
this  spreading  to  the  rear,  orders  were  given  for  stop- 
ping the  descent  of  the  artillery.  Bonaparte  had 
come  as  far  as  the  town  of  Aosta  when  this  intelligence 
reached  him.  He  immediately  hastened  to  St.  Bard, 
where  he  found  the  troops  in  much  confusion. 

On  occasions  like  this  he  rarely  failed  to  vindicate 
the  prestige  of  his  reputation.  Napoleon,  after  hastily 


1800.]  ALBAREDO IVREA.  129 

surveying  the  localities,  climbed  the  height  of  the 
Albaredo,  which  rises  on  the  one  side  above  the  fort, 
and  satisfied  himself  that,  though  the  path  had  hitherto 
been  trodden  only  by  solitary  huntsmen,  the  army 
who  had  crossed  the  St.  Bernard  might,  by  similar 
efforts,  find  or  make  their  way  here  also.  A  single 
cannon  being,  with  the  last  difficulty,  hoisted  to  the 
summit,  he  planted  it  so  as  to  play  full  on  the  chief 
bastion  of  St.  Bard.  The  moment  this  was  arranged, 
the  troops  began  their  painful  march;  and  they  ac- 
complished it  without  considerable  loss  ;  for  Napoleon's 
gun  was  so  excellently  placed,  that  the  main  battery 
of  the  subjacent  castle  was,  ere  long,  silenced.  The 
men  crept  along  the  brow  of  the  Albaredo  in  single  file, 
each  pausing  (says  an  eye-witness)  to  gaze  for  a  mo- 
ment on  Napoleon,  who,  overcome  with  his  exertions, 
had  lain  down  and  fallen  fast  asleep  upon  the  summit 
of  the  rock.  Thus  passed  the  main  body,  slowly,  but 
surely.  Meantime,  colonel  Dufour  had  been  ordered  to 
scale  the  wall  of  the  town  at  night-fall ;  and  his  regi- 
ment (the  58th)  performed  this  service  so  impetuously, 
that  the  Austrian  troops  took  refuge  in  the  castle,  and  the 
French  made  good  their  lodgment  in  the  houses  below. 
For  some  hours  the  garrison  poured  down  grape-shot 
at  half-musket  distance  upon  the  French,  but  at  last, 
out  of  compassion  for  the  inhabitants,  the  fire  slack- 
ened ;  and  ere  day  broke,  Bonaparte  had  effected  his 
main  purpose.  The  streets  of  the  town  having  been 
strewn  with  litter  to  deafen  sound,  the  guns,  covered 
with  straw  and  branches  of  trees,  were  dragged  through 
it  under  the  very  guns  of  St.  Bard,  and  without  excit- 
ing the  least  suspicion  in  its  garrison.  Next  morning 
the  Austrian  commandant  sent  on  a  messenger  to 
Melas,  with  tidings  that  a  large  division  of  the  French 
had  indeed  passed  by  the  goat-tracks  of  Albaredo,  but 
that  most  certainly  not  one  great  gun  was  with  them. 
Bonaparte,  meantime,  was  hurrying  forwards  with 
horse,  foot,  and  artillery  too,  upon  Ivrea. 

The  march  of  tfre  consul  received  no  new  check 
until  he  reached  the  town  of  Ivrea,  where,  after  two 
days'  hard  fighting,  Lannes  at  length  forced  an  en- 


130  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800. 

trance,  and  the  garrison,  with  severe  loss,  withdrew. 
Bonaparte  then  took  the  road  to  Turin,  and  the  van- 
guard had  another  severe  piece  of  service  at  the 
bridge  of  Chiusilla,  where  10,000  Austrians  had  been 
very  strongly  posted.  Lannes  broke  them,  and  pur- 
suing as  far  as  Orca,  cut  them  off  from  their  magazines 
at  Chevagno,  and  seized  a  vast  quantity  of  stores 
which  had  been  embarked  on  the  Po.  The  advance 
was  now  within  one  march  of  Turin,  while  Murat 
occupied  Vercelli,  and  the  other  divisions  (those  of 
Moncey,  Chabran,  and  Thureau)  having  accomplished 
their  jpeveral  Alpine  journeys,  were  pouring  down  upon 
the  low  country,  and  gradually  converging  towards 
the  appointed  rendezvous  on  the  Ticino.  Bonaparte 
had  thus  overcome  the  great  difficulties  of  his  prep- 
aration, and  was  ready  with  his  whole  army  to  open 
the  campaign  in  good  earnest  against  Melas. 

The  blockade  of  Genoa  had  been  kept  up  all  this 
time  ;  while  Suchet  resolutely  maintained  the  last  line 
9f  defence  on  the  old  frontier  of  France.  On  the  22d 
of  May,  Melas  made  a  desperate  effort  to  force  the 
oassage  of  the  Var,  but  failed;  and  immediately  after- 
ward received  his  first  intelligence  of  the  movements 
:>f  Bonaparte,  and  the  defeat  of  his  own  detachment 
at  the  bridge  of  Chiusilla.  He  perceived  that  it  was 
nigh  time  to  leave  Suchet  to  inferior  hands,  and,  giving 
that  charge  to  general  Elsnitz,  set  off  to  oppose  in 
person  "the  army  of  reserve."  Suchet,  on  his  part, 
was  not  slow  to  profit  by  the  departure  of  the  Austrian 
commander-in-chief :  he  being  informed  of  Bonaparte's 
descent,  forthwith  resumed  the  offensive,  recrossed  the 
Var,  and  carried  Vintimiglia  at  the  point  of  the  bayo- 
net. Pursuing  his  advantage,  Suchet  re-obtained  the 
mastery,  first  of  the  defile  of  Braus,  and  then  of  that 
of  Tende,  and  at  length  re-occupied  his  old  position 
at  Melagno,  whence  his  advanced  guard  pushed  on  as 
far  as  Savona. 

The  garrison  of  Genoa,  meantime,  had  been  holding 
out  gallantly.  Massena  for  some  time  kept  possession 
of  the  semicircular  chain  of  heights  on  the  land  side, 
and  was  thus  enabled  to  obtain  provisions,  despite  the 


l800.]  GENOA  SURRENDERS.  131 

40,000  Austrians  under  general  Ott,  who  lay  watching 
him,  and  the  English  fleet  under  lord  Keith  which 
completely  blockaded  the  shore.  A  great  effort  made 
to  dislodge  him  from  the  heights  on  the  3d  of  April 
had  failed.  But,  by  degrees,  the  superiority  of  num- 
bers proved  too  much  for  him,  and  being  shut  at  last 
within  the  walls, — where,  to  increase  all  his  difficulties, 
a  great  part  of  the  population  was  violently  hostile  to 
the  French  cause, — his  sufferings  from  want  of  provi- 
sions, and  the  necessity  of  constant  watchfulness  and 
daily  skirmishes,  began  to  be  severe.  The  news  of 
the  expedition  of  Napoleon  at  length  penetrated  to  the 
beleaguered  garrison,  and  the  expectation  of  relief  gave 
hem  from  day  to  day  new  courage  to  hold  out.  But 
Jay  passed  after  day  without  any  deliverer  making  his 
appearance,  and  the  scarcity  of  fopd  rendered  it  almost 
impossible  to  keep  the  inhabitants  from  rising  en  masse 
to  throw  open  the  gates.  Everything  eatable,  not  ex- 
cepting the  shoes  and  knapsacks  of  the  soldiers,  had 
been  devoured,  ere  Massena  at  length  listened  to  the 
proposal  of  a  conference  with  general  Ott  and  lord 
Keith.  If  the  French  general's  necessities  were  urgent, 
the  English  admiral's  desire  to  get  possession  of  Genoa, 
ere  Bonaparte  could  make  further  progress,  was  not 
less  vehement.  Lord  Keith  frankly  told  Massena,  that 
his  gallantry  had  been  such  that  no  terms  could  be  too 
good  for  him.  The  word  capitulation  was  omitted : 
the  French  marched  out  of  the  town  with  arms  and 
baggage,  and  were  allowed  to  proceed  to  Suchet'? 
head-quarters ;  and,  on  the  5th  of  June,  Ott  occupied 
Genoa. 

General  Ott,  notwithstanding  this  success,  had  been 
very  ill-employed  in  lingering  before  Genoa,  while  Na- 
poleon was  so  rapidly  advancing ;  and  Melas,  utterly 
perplexed  between  Suchet  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
consul  on  the  other,  had  in  fact  lain  still,  and  done 
nothing.  Bonaparte,  between  the  1st  and  4th  of  June, 
crossed  the  Ticino  with  his  whole  army.  Murat  car- 
ried Turbigo  on  the  5th,  the  very  day  that  Genoa  fell ; 
and  on  the  2d,  the  chief  consul  himself  once  more 
entered  Milan,  where  he  was  received  with  enthusiasm, 


132  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800. 

and  restored  in  form  the  Cisalpine  republic.  Lannes, 
after  various  conflicts,  occupied  Pavia.  Chapon  and 
Thureau  threatened  Turin  by  two  different  routes; 
and  Melas,  at  last  roused  to  a  sense  of  his  imminent 
danger,  abandoned  the  open  country  of  Piedmont,  took 
up  his  head-quarters  at  Alessandria,  and  began  to  draw 
together  his  widely  separated  columns,  and  concentrate 
them  for. the  inevitable  battle  which  must  decide  the 
fate  of  Italy. 

Bonaparte,  meanwhile,  was  ignorant  of  the  fall  of 
Genoa.  He  supposed,  therefore,  that  the  army  of  Ott 
was  still  at  a  wide  distance  from  that  of  the  Austrian 
commander-in-chief,  and  meditated  to  pass  the  Po  sud- 
denly, and  either  attack  Ott  and  relieve  Genoa,  ere 
Melas  knew  he  was  in  that  neighborhood,  or,  if  he 
should  find  this  more  practicable,  force  Melas  himself 
to  accept  battle  unsupported  by  Ott.  Lannes,  and  the 
van,  accordingly,  pushed  on  as  far  as  Montebello, 
where,  to  their  surprise,  they  found  the  Austrians  *in 
strength.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  June, 
Lannes  was  attacked  by  a  force  which  he  had  much 
difficulty  in  resisting.  The  Austrians  were  greatly 
superior  in  cavalry,  and  the  ground  was  favorable  for 
that  arm.  But  at  length  Victor's  division  came  up, 
after  a  severe  struggle,  and  turned  the  tide.  The  bat- 
tle was  a  most  obstinate  one.  The  fields  being  cover- 
ed with  very  tall  crops  of  rye,  the  hostile  battalions 
were  often  almost  within  bayonet's  length  ere  they 
were  aware  of  each  other's  presence ;  and  the  same 
circumstances  prevented  the  generals,  on  either  side, 
from  displaying  much  science  in  their  manoeuvres.  It 
was  a  conflict  of  man  against  man,  and  determined  at 
a  vast  cost  of  blood.  The  field  was  strewn  with  dead, 
and  the  retiring  Austrians  left  5000  prisoners,  from 
whom  the  first  consul  learned  the  fate  of  Genoa.  He 
immediately  concluded  that  Melas  had  concentrated 
his  army;  and.  naving  sent  messengers  to  Suchet, 
urging  mm  to  cress  me  mountains  by  the  Col  di  Cadi- 
oona,  and  march  on  the  Scrivia  (which  would  place 
him  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy),  halted  his  whole  line 
upon  the  strong  position  of  Stradella. 


1800.]  STRADELLA DESSAIX.  133 

It  was  on  the  evening  after  Montebello,  that  general 
Dessaix,  whom  Napoleon  considered  as  second  only  to 
himself  in  military  genius,  arrived  at  head-quarters. 
Bonaparte  had,  on  leaving  Egypt,  ordered  Kleber  to 
send  Dessaix  to  France  in  the  course  of  November. 
He  had  accordingly  landed  at  Frejus  shortly  after  the 
establishment  of  the  new  government,  where  he  found 
letters  from  the  chief  consul,  urging  him  to  join  him 
without  delay.  In  these  letters  there  were  some 
melancholy  phrases,  and  Dessaix,  who  really  loved  Na- 
poleon, was  heard  to  say,  "  He  has  gained  all,  and  yet 
he  is  not  satisfied."  A  hundred  obstacles  rose  up  to 
keep  Dessaix  from  joining  his  friend  so  speedily  as  both 
wished.  He  was  yet  in  France  when  the  news  of  St. 
Bernard  came  thither,  and  exclaiming,  "  He  will  leave 
us  nothing  to  do,"  travelled  night  and  day  until  he  was 
able  to  throw  himself  into  his  arms.  Napoleon  imme- 
diately gave  him  the  command  of  a  division;  and  they 
spent  the  night  together  in  conversing  about  the  affairs 
of  Egypt. 

The  first  consul  was  anxious  to  tempt  Melas  to  at- 
tack him  at  Stradella,  where  the  ground  was  unfavora- 
ble to  cavalry  movements  ;  but,  after  lying  there  un- 
molested for  three  days,  he  began  to  fear  that  the  Aus- 
trian had  resolved,  either  on  moving  to  the  left  flank, 
crossing  the  Ticino,  occupying  Milan,  and  so  re-open- 
ing his  communication  with  Vienna; — or,  on  falling 
back  to  Genoa,  overwhelming  Suchet,  and  taking  up  a 
position  where  the  British  fleet  could  supply  him  with 
provisions — or  even,  in  case  of  necessity,  embark  his 
army,  carry  it  round  to  the  other  side  of  Italy,  and  by 
that  means  place  him  once  more  between  his  enemy 
and  the  German  states.  Bonaparte,  being  perplexed 
with  these  apprehensions,  at  last  descended  into  the 
great  plain  of  Marengo,  on  which  he  had,  not  without 
reason,  feared  to  abide  the  onset  of  Melas  and  the  Aus- 
trian horse.  He  was  at  Volghera  on  the  llth,  and 
next  day  at  St.  Juliano,  in  the  very  centre  of  the  plain  ; 
but  still  no  enemy  appeared.  On  the  13th,  he  ad- 
vanced to  the  village  of  Marengo  itself,  and  finding 
nothing  even  there  but  a  scanty  outpost,  which  re- 


134  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1800. 

•eated  before  him,  concluded  certainly  that  Mel  as  had 
given  him  the  slip,  and  marched  either  to  the  left  on 
the  Ticino,  or  to  the  right  on  Genoa.  In  great  anxie- 
ty, he  detached  one  division  under  Dessaix  to- watch 
the  road  to  Genoa,  and  another  under  Murat  towards 
the  Scrivia.  Dessaix  was  already  half  a  day's  journey 
from  the  head-quarters,  when  Napoleon  received  intel- 
ligence which  made  him  hastily  recall  all  his  detach- 
ments. The  Austrian  general,  after  long  hesitation, 
had  at  length  resolved  to  let  a  fair  field  decide  once 
more  the  fate  of  Italy.  On  the  evening  of  the  13th, 
his  whole  army  mustered  in  front  of  Alessandria,  hav- 
ing only  the  river  Bormida  between  them  and  the  plain 
of  Marengo ;  and  early  in  the  following  morning,  they 
passed  the  stream  at  three  several  points,  and  ad- 
vanced towards  the  French  position  in  as  many  col- 
umns. 

The  Austrians  were  full  40,000  strong ;  while,  in 
the  absence  of  Dessaix  and  the  reserve,  Napoleon 
could,  at  most,  oppose  to  them  20,000,  of  whom  only 
2,500  were  cavalry.  He  had,  however,  no  hesitation 
about  accepting  the  battle.  His  advance,  under  Gar- 
danne,  occupied  the  small  hamlet  of  Padre  Bona,  a  lit- 
tle in  front  of  Marengo.  At  that  village,  which  over- 
looks a  narrow  ravine,  the  channel  of  a  rivulet,  Napo- 
leon stationed  Victor  with  the  main  body  of  his  first 
line — the  extreme  right  of  it  resting  on  Caste'l  Ceriolo, 
another  hamlet  almost  parallel  with  Marengo  ;  Keller- 
man,  with  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  was  posted  immedi- 
ately behind  Victor  for  the  protection  of  his  flanks. 
A  thousand  yards  in  the  rear  of  Victor  was  the  second 
line,  under  Lannes,  protected  in  like  fashion  by  the 
cavalry  of  Champeaux.  At  about  an  equal  distance, 
again,  behind  Lannes,  was  the  third  line,  consisting  of 
the  division  of  St.  Cyr,  and  the  consular  guard,  under 
Napoleon  in  person.  The  Austrian  heavy  infantry,  on 
reaching  the  open  field,  formed  into  two  lines,  the  first, 
under  general  Haddick,  considerably  in  advance  before 
the  other,  which  Melas  himself  commanded,  with 
general  -Zach  for  his  second.  These  moved  steadily 
towards  Marengo  ;  while  the  light  infantry  and  caval- 


1800.]  BATTLE  OF  MARENGO.  135 

ry,  under  general  Elsnitz,  made  a  detour  round  Castel 
Ceriolo  with  the  purpose  of  outflanking  the  French 
right. 

Such  was  the  posture  of  the  two  armies  when  this 
great  battle  began.  Gardanne  was  unable  to  with- 
stand the  shock,  and,  abandoning  Padre  Bona,  fell  back 
to  strengthen  Victor.  A  furious  cannonade  alongx  the 
whole  front  of  that  position  ensued:  the  tirailleurs  of 
either  army  posted  themselves  along  the  margins  of 
the  ravine,  and  fired  incessantly  at  each  other,  their 
pieces  almost  touching.  Cannon  and  musketry  spread 
devastation  everywhere — for  the  armies  were"  but  a 
few  toises  apart.  For  more  than  two  hours  Victor 
withstood  singly  the  vigorous  assaults  of  a  far  superior 
force  ;  Marengo  had  been  taken  and  retained  several 
times,  ere  Lannes  received  orders  to  reinforce  him. 
The  second  line  at  length  advanced,  but  they  found 
the  first  in  retreat,  and  the  two  corps  took  up  a  second 
line  of  defence  considerably  to  the  rear  of  Marengo. 
Here  they  were,  again,  charged  furiously — and  again, 
after  obstinate  resistance,  gave  way.  General  Elsnitz, 
meantime,  having  effected  his  purpose,  and  fairly  march- 
ed round  Castel  Ceriolo,  appeared  on  the  right  flank 
with  his  splendid  cavalry,  and  began  to  pour  his  squad- ^ 
rons  upon  the  retreating  columns  of  Lannes.  That 
gallant  chief  formed  his  troops  en  echelon,  and  retired 
in  admirabte  order — but  the  retreat  was  now  general ; 
and,  had  Melas  pursued  the  advantage  with  all  his 
reserve,  the  battle  was  won.  But  that  aged  general 
(he  was  eighty-four  years  old)  doubted  not  that  he 
had  won  it  already  ;  and  at  this  critical  moment,  being 
quite  worn  out  with  fatigue,  withdrew  to  the  rear,  leav- 
ing Zach  .to  continue  what  he  considered  as  now  a 
mere  pursuit. 

At  the  moment  when  the  Austrian  horse  were  about 
to  rush  on  Lannes's  retreating  corps,  the  reserve  un- 
der Dessaix  arrived  on  the  outskirts  of  the  field.  Des- 
saix  himself,  riding  up  to  the  first  consul,  said,  "  I  think 
this  is  a  battle  lost."  "  I  think  it  is  a  battle  won,"  an- 
swered Napoleon.  "  Do  you  .push  on,  and  I  will  speed- 


180  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800. 

ily  rally  the  line  behind  you."  And  in  effect  the  time- 
ly return  of  this  reserve  turned  the  fortune  of  the  day. 

Napoleon  in  person  drew  up  the  whole  of  his  army 
on  a  third  line  of  battle,  and  rode  along  to  the  front, 
saying,  "  Soldiers,  we  have  retired  far  enough.  Let 
us  now  advance.  You  know  it  is  my  custom  to  sleep 
on  the  field  of  battle."  The  enthusiasm  of  the  troops 
appeared  to  be  revived,  and  Dessaix  prepared  to  act 
on  the  offensive  ;  he  led  a  fresh  column  of  5000  grena- 
diers to  meet  and  check  the  advance  of  Zach.  The 
brave  Dessaix  fell  dead  at  the  first  fire,  shot  through 
the  head.  "  Alas!  it  is  not  permitted  to  me  to  weep," 
said  Napoleon  ;  and  the  fall  of  that  beloved  chief  re- 
doubled the  fury  of  his  followers.  The  first  line  of 
the  Austrian  infantry  charged,  however,  with  equal 
resolution.  At  that  moment,  Kellerman's  horse  came 
on  them  in  flank ;  and  being,  by  that  unexpected  as- 
sault, broken,  they  were,  after  a  vain  struggle,  com- 
pelled to  surrender : — general  Zach  himself  was  here 
made  prisoner.  The  Austrian  columns  behind,  being 
flushed  with  victory,  were  advancing  too  carelessly, 
and  proved  unable  to  resist  the  general  assault  of  the 
whole  French  line,  which  now  pressed  onwards  under 
the  immediate  command  of  Napoleon.  Post  after  post 
was  carried.  The  noble  cavalry  of  Elsnitz,  perceiv- 
ing the  infantry  broken  and  retiring,  lost  heart ;  and, 
instead  of  forming  to  protect  their  retreat,  turned  their 
horses'  heads,  and  galloped  over  the  plain,  trampling 
down  everything  in  their  way.  When  the  routed  army 
reached  at  length  the  Bormida,  the  confusion  was  in- 
describable. Hundreds  were  drowned — the  river  roll- 
ed red  amid  the  corpses  of  horse  and  men.  Whole 
corps,  being  unable  to  effect  the  passage,  surrendered : 
and  at  ten  at  night  the  Austrian  commander  with  diffi- 
culty rallied  the  remnant  of  that  magnificent  array,  on 
the  very  ground  which  they  had  left  the  same  morning 
in  all  the  confidence  of  victory. 

The  discomfiture  of  the  imperialists  was  so  great, 
that  rather  than  stand  the  consequences  of  another 
battle,  while  Suchet  was  coming  on  their  rear,  they 
next  day  entered  into  a  negotiation.  Melas  offered  to 


1800.]  ARMISTICE.  137 

abandon  Genoa  and  all  the  strong  places  in  Piedmont, 
Lombardy,  and  the  Legations — provided  Bonaparte 
would  allow  him  to  march  the  remains  of  his  army  un- 
molested to  the  rear  of  Mantua.  Napoleon  accepted 
this  offer.  By  one  battle  he  had  regained  nearly  all 
that  the  French  had  lost  in  the  unhappy  Italian  cam- 
paign of  1799  :  at  all  events,  he  had  done  enough  to 
crown  his  own  name  with  unrivalled  splendor,  and  to 
show  that  the  French  troops  were  once  more  what 
they  had  used  to  be — when  he  was  in  the  field  to  com- 
mand them.  He  had  another  motive  for  closing  with 
the  propositions  of  general  Melas.  It  was  of  urgent 
importance  to  regain  Genoa,  ere  an  English  army, 
which  he  knew  was  on  its  voyage  to  that  port,  could 
reach  its  destination. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  Napoleon  returned  in  triumph 
to  Milan,  where  he  formally  re-established  the  Cisalpine 
republic,  and  was  present  at  a  festival  of  high  state  and 
magnificence.  He  then  gave  the  command  of  the  army 
of  Italy  to  Massena ;  and  appointed  Jourdan  French 
minister  in  Piedmont — in  other  words,  governor  of 
that  dominion  ;  and  set  out  on  his  journey  to  Paris. 
He  reached  the  Tuerileries  on  the  2d  of  July,  and  was 
received  by  the  Parisians  with  an  enthusiasm  which 
exceeded  all  that  has  been  recorded  of  any  triumphal 
entry.  Night  after  night  every  house  was  illuminated ; 
and  day  following  day  the  people  stood  in  crowds 
around  the  palace,  contented  if  they  could  but  catch 
one  glimpse  of  the  preserver  of  France. 

The  tidings  of  the  great  battle,  meanwhile,  kindled 
the  emulation  of  the  Rhenish  army ;  and  they  burrled 
with  the  earnest  desire  to  do  something  worthy  of  being 
recorded  in  the  same  page  with  Marengo.  But  the 
chief  consul,  when  he  granted  the  armistice  to  Melas, 
had  extended  it  to  the  armies  on  the  German  frontier 
likewise ;  and  Moreau,  consequently,  could  not  at  once 
avail  himself  of  the  eagerness  of  his  troops.  The  ne- 
gotiations which  ensued,  however,  were  unsuccessful. 
The  emperor,  subsidized  as  he  had  been,  must  have 
found  it  very  difficult  to  resist  the  remonstrances  of 
England  against  the  ratification  of  any  peace  in  which 


138  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800. 

she  should  not  be  included  ;  and  it  is  natural  to  sup- 
pose, that  the  proud  spirit  of  the  Austrian  cabinet  re- 
volted from  setting  the  seal  to  an  act  of  humiliation,  not 
yet,  as  the  English  government  insisted,  absolutely 
necessary.  News,  meantime,  were  received,  of  the 
surrender  of  Malta  to  an  English  expedition  under  lord 
Keith  and  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie  ;*  and  this  timely 
piece  of  good  fortune  breathed  fresh  spirit  into  the 
Antigallican  league.  In  fine,  insincerity  and  suspicion 
protracted,  from  day  to  day,  a  negotiation  not  destined 
to  be  concluded  until  more  blood  had  been  shed. 

During  this  armistice,  which  lasted  from  the  15th  of 
June  to  the  17th  of  November,  the  exiled  princes  of 
the  house  of  Bourbon  made  some  more  ineffectual 
endeavors  to  induce  the  chief  consul  to  be  the  Monk 
of  France.  The  Abbe  de  Montesquieu,  secret  agent 
for  the  count  de  Lille  (afterward  Louis  XVIIL),  pre- 
vailed on  the  third  consul,  Le  Brun,  to  lay  before  Bona- 
parte a  letter  addressed  to  him  by  that  prince — in  these 
terms  :  "  You  are  very  tardy  about  restoring  my  throne 
to  me  :  it  is  to  be  feared  that  you  may  let  the  favora- 
ble moment  slip.  You  cannot  establish  the  happiness 
of  France  without  me  ;  and  I,  on  the  other  hand,  can 
do  nothing  for  France  without  you.  Make  haste,  then, 
and  point  out,  yourself,  the  posts  and  dignities  which 
will  satisfy  you  -and  your  friends."  The  first  consul 
answered  thus  :  "  I  have  received  your  royal  highnesses 
letter.  I  have  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in  your 
misfortunes  and  those  of  your  family.  You  must  not 
think  of  appearing  in  France — you  could  not  do  so 
without  marching  over  five  hundred  thousand  corpses. 
For  the  rest,  I  shall  always  be  zealous  to  do  whatever 
lies  within  my  power  towards  softening  your  royal 
highness's  destinies,  and  making  you  forget,  if  possible, 
your  misfortunes."  The  comte  D'Artois  (afterward 
Charles  X.  of  France)  took  a  more  delicate  method  of 
negotiating.  He  sent  a  very  beautiful  and  charming 
lady,  the  duchesse  de  Guiche,  to  Paris ;  she,  without 
difficulty,  gained  access  to  Josephine,  and  shone,  for  a 
time,  the  most  brilliant  ornament  of  the  consular  court. 

*  Sept.  5,  1800. 


1800.]  CABALS CERACCH1.  139 

But  the  moment  Napoleon  discovered  the  fair  lady's 
errand,  she  was  ordered  to  quit  the  capital  within  a  few 
hours.  These  intrigues,  however,  could  not  fail  to 
transpire  ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that,  at  this  epoch, 
the  hopes  of  the  royalists  were  in  a  high  state  of  excite- 
ment. 

Meantime  the  jacobins  who  had  formerly  worship- 
ped Bonaparte  as  the  "  child  and  champion"  of  their 
creed,  but  who  now  abhorred  him,  began  to  agitate 
schemes  for  his  assassination.  Under  their  auspices 
Ceracchi,  an  Italian  sculptor,  who  had  modelled  the 
bust  of  Napoleon  while  he  held  his  court  at  Montebello, 
arrived  in  Paris,  and,  under  pretence  of  retouching  his 
work,  solicited  admission  to  the  presence  of  the  new 
Ca3sar,  whose  Brutus  he  had  resolved  to  be.  The  oc- 
cupations of  the  consul  did  not  permit  of  this  ;  and  the 
Italian,  having  opened  his  purpose  to  Topineau,  Le- 
brun,  a  painter,  the  adjutant-general  Arena,  Damer- 
ville,  and  others  of  kindred  sentiments,  arranged  a  plan 
by  which  Bonaparte  was  to  have  been  surrounded  and 
stabbed  in  the  lobby  of  the  opera-house.  But  one  of 
the  accomplices  betrayed  the  conspiracy  ;  and  Cerac- 
ohi  and  his  associates  were  arrested  in  the  theatre,  at 
the  moment  when  they  were  expecting  their  victim. 

This  occurred  towards  the  middle  of  August ;  and  it 
has  been  said  that  the  jacobin  conspirators,  being 
thrown  into  the  same  prison  with  some  desperadoes  of 
the  Chouan  faction,  gave  to  these  last  the  outline  of 
another  scheme  of  assassination,  which  had  more 
nearly  proved  successful.  This  was  the  plot  of  the  in- 
fernal machine.  A  cart  was  prepared  to  contain  a 
barrel  of  gunpowder,  strongly  fastened  in  the  midst  of 
a  quantity  of  grape-shot,  which,  being  set  on  fire  by  a 
slow  match,  was  to  explode  at  the  moment  when 
Bonaparte  was  passing  through  some  narrow  street, 
and  scatter  destruction  in  every  direction  around  it. 
The  night  selected  was  that  of  the  10th  of  October, 
when  the  chief  consul  was  expected  to  visit  the  opera, 
and  the  machine  was  planted  in  the  Rue  St.  Nicaise, 
through  which  he  must  pass  in  his  way  thither  from 
the  Tuileries.  Napoleon  told  his  friends  at  St.  Helena, 


140  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1800 

that  having  labored  hard  all  day,  he  felt  himself  over- 
powered with  sleep  after  dinner,  and  that  Josephine, 
who  was  anxious  to  be  at  the  opera,  had  much  difficulty 
in  at  last  rousing  and  persuading  him  to  go.  "  I  fell 
fast  asleep  again,"  he  said,  "  after  I  was  in  my  car- 
riage :  and,  at  the  moment  when  the  explosion  took 
place,  I  was  dreaming  of  the  danger  I  had  undergone 
some  years  before  in  crossing  the  Tagliamento  at  mid- 
night, by  the  light  of  torches,  during  the  flood."  He 
awoke,  and  exclaimed  to  Lannee  and  Bessieres,  who 
were  with  him  in  the  coach,  "  We  are  blown  up."  The 
attendants  would  have  stopped  the  carriage,  but,  with 
great  presence  of  mind,  he  bade  them  drive  as  fast  as 
they  could  to  the  theatre,  which  he  alone  of  all  the 
party  entered  with  an  unruffled  countenance.  He 
had  escaped  most  narrowly.  The  coachman,  happen- 
ing to  be  intoxicated,  drove  more  rapidly  than  was  his 
custom.  The  engine  exploded  half  a  minute  after  the 
carriage  had  passed  it — killing  twenty  persons,  wound- 
ing fifty-three  (among  whom  was  St.  Regent,  the  as- 
sassin who  fired  the  train),  and  shattering  the  windows 
of  several  houses  on  both  sides  of  the  street. 

The  audience  in  the  opera-house,  when  the  news 
was  divulged,  testified  their  feelings  with  enthusiasm. 
The  atrocity  of  the  conspiracy  roused  universal  horror 
and  -indignation,  and  invested  the  person  of  the  chief 
consul  with  a  new  species  of  interest.  The  assassins 
were  tried  fairly,  and  executed,  glorying  in  their  crime  : 
and,  in  the  momentary  exaltation  of  all  men's  minds, 
an  edict  of  the  senate,  condemning  to  perpetual  exile 
130  of  the  most  notorious  leaders  of  the  terrorists,  was 
received  with  applause.  Napoleon  himself,  however, 
despised  utterly  the  relics  of  that  odious  party ;  and  the 
arbitrary  decree  in  question  was  never  put  into  execu 
tion. 

How  far  these  disturbances  in  the  French  capita, 
might  have  contributed  to  the  indecision  of  the  Aus- 
trian cabinet  during  this  autumn,  we  know  not.  Five 
months  had  now  elapsed  since  the  armistice  after 
Marengo;  and  the  first  consul,  utterly  disgusted  with 
the  delay,  determined  to  resume  arms,  and  to  be  first  in 


1801.]  TREATY  OF  LUNEVILLE.  141 

the  field.  Between  the  17th  and  27th  of  November, 
his  generals  received  orders  to  set  all  their  troops  once 
more  in  motion.  Everywhere  the  French  arms  had 
splendid  success.  Brune  defeated  the  Austrians  on  the 
Mincio,  and  advanced  within  a  few  miles  of  Venice. 
Macdonald  occupied  the  mountains  of  the  Tyrol,  and 
was  prepared  to  reinforce  either  the  army  of  Italy  or 
that  of  the  Rhine,  as  might  be  desired.  Moreau,  finally, 
advanced  into  the  heart  of  Germany,  and  was  met  by 
the  archduke  John  of  Austria,  who  obtained  conside- 
rable advantages  in  the  affair  at  Haag.  The  archduke, 
elated  by  this  success,  determined  on  a  general  en- 
gagement, and  appeared  in  front  of  the  French  on  the 
evening  of  the  2d  December,  at  Hohenlinden,  between 
the  Inn  and  the  Iser.  At  seven,  on  the  morning  of  the 
3d,  the  conflict  began.  The  deep  snow  had  oblitera- 
ted the  tracks  of  roads;  several  Austrian  columns  were 
bewildered ;  and  either  came  not  at  all  into  their  posi- 
tions, or  came  too  late.  Yet  the  battle  was  obstinate  and 
severe  ;  10,000  imperialists  were  left  dead  on  the  field  : 
and  Moreau,  improving  his  success,  marched  on  imme- 
diately, and  occupied  Saltzburg. 

The  Austrian  capital  now  lay  exposed  to  the  march 
of  three  victorious  armies ;  and  the  emperor  was  at 
last  compelled  to  release  himself  from  his  English  obli- 
gations, and  negotiate  in  sincerity  for  a  separate  peace. 

A  definitive  treaty  was  signed  at  Luneville  on  the  9th 
February,  1801  ;  by  which  the  emperor,  not  only  as 
head  of  the  Austrian  monarchy,  but  also  in  his  quality 
of  chief  of  the  German  empire,  guaranteed  to  France 
the  boundary  of  the  Rhine  ;  thereby  sacrificing  certain 
possessions  of  Prussia  and  other  subordinate  princes  of 
the  empire,  as  well  as  his  own.  Another  article,  ex- 
tremely distasteful  to  Austria,  yielded  Tuscany;  which 
Napoleon  resolved  to  transfer  to  a  prince  of  the  house 
of  Parma,  in  requital  of  the  good  offices  of  Spain  during 
the  war.  The  emperor  recognized  the  union  of  the 
Batavian  republic  with  the  French,  and  acknowledged 
the  Cisalpine  and  Ligurian  commonwealths ;  both 
virtually  provinces  of  the  great  empire,  over  which 
the  authority  of  the  first  consul  seemed  now  to  be  per 
manently  established. 


CHAPTEK  V. 

AFFAIRS  OF  NAPLES  AND  THE  POPE — THE  EMPEROR  PAUL  OF  RUSSIA — 
Northern  Confederacy  against  England — Nelson — Egypt — The  Flo- 
tilla of  Boulogne — Negotiations  with  England — Peace  of  Amiens — 
Results — The  Concordat — The  Legion  of  Honor — Bonaparte  Presi- 
dent of  the  Cis-Alpine  Republic — First  Consul  for  Life — Grand  Medi- 
ator of  the  Helvetic  Confederacy — St.  Domingo — Toussaint  1'Over- 
ture — England  refuses  to  carry  out  the  Treaty — Lord  Whitworth — 
Rupture  of  the  Peace  of  Amiens — Barbarous  Course  of  England  and 
France— A.  D.  1800—1803. 

ENGLAND  alone  remained  steadfast  in  her  hostility  ; 
and,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  the  chief  consul  was 
even  able  to  secure  for  himself  the  alliance  against  her 
of  some  of  the  principal  powers  in  Europe  :  but  before 
we  proceed  to  the  eventful  year  of  1801,  there  are 
some  incidents  of  a  minor  order  which  must  be  briefly 
mentioned. 

It  has  been  already  said  that  the  half-crazy  emperor 
of  Russia  had  taken  up  a  violent  personal  admiration 
for  Bonaparte,  and,  under  the  influence  of  that  feeling, 
virtually  abandoned  Austria  before  the  campaign  of 
Marengo.  Napoleon  took  evei-y  means  to  flatter  the 
autocrat,  and  secure  him  in  his  interests.  Paul  had 
been  pleased  to  appoint  himself  grand  master  of  the 
ruined  order  of  the  knights  of  St.  John.  It  was  his 
not  idle  ambition  to  obtain,  in  this  character,  possession 
of  the  island  of  Malta  ;  and  Bonaparte  represented  the 
refusal  of  the  English  government  to  give  up  that 
stronghold  as  a  personal  insult  to  Paul.  Some  10,000 
Russian  prisoners  of  war  were  not  only  sent  back  in 
safety,  but  new  clothed  and  equipped  at  the  expense 
of  France  ;  and  the  autocrat  was  led  to  contrast  this 
favorably  with  some  alleged  neglect  of  these  troops  on 
the  part  of  Austria,  when  arranging  the  treaty  of  Lune- 


1800.J  RETROSPECT.  143 

ville.  Lastly,  the  queen  of  Naples,  sister  to  the  Ger- 
man emperor,  being  satisfied  that,  after  the  battle  of 
Marengo,  nothing  could  save  her  husband's  Italian  do- 
minions from  falling  back  into  the  hands  of  France 
(out  of  which  they  had  been  rescued,  during  Napo- 
leon's Egyptian  campaign,  by  the  English,  under  lord 
Nelson),  took  up  the  resolution  of  travelling  in  person 
to  St.  Petersburg  in  the  heart  of  the  winter,  and  solicit- 
ing the  intercession  of  Paul.  The  czar,  egregiously  flat- 
tered with  being  invoked  in  this  fashion,  did  not  hesitate 
to  apply  in  the  queen's  behalf  to  Bonaparte  ;  and  the 
chief  consul,  well  calculating  the  gain  and  the  loss, 
consented  to  spare  Naples  for  the  present,  thereby 
completing  the  blind  attachment  of  that  weak-minded 
despot. 

At  the  same  time  when  Nelson  delivered  Naples  from 
the  French,  a  party  of  English  seamen,  under  commo- 
dore Trowbridge,  had  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ti- 
ber, marched  to  Rome,  and  restored  the  pope.  The 
French  army,  after  the  great  victory  which  gave  them 
back  Lombardy  and  Piedmont,  doubted  not  that  the 
re-establishment  of  "  the  Roman  republic"  would  be 
one  of  its  next  consequences.  But  Bonaparte,  who 
had  in  the  interim  re-opened  the  churches  of  France, 
was  now  disposed  to  consider  the  affairs  of  the  pope 
with  very  different  eyes.  In  a  word,  he  had  already 
resolved  to  make  use  of  the  holy  father  in  the  consoli- 
dation of  his  own  power  as  a  monarch ;  and,  as  the 
first  step  to  this  object,  the  government  of  the  pope  was 
now  suffered  to  continue — not  a  little  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  French  soldiery,  and  to  the  confusion,  it 
may  be  added,  and  regret  of  various  powers  of  Europe. 

The  first  consul,  meanwhile,  proceeded  to  turn  the 
friendship  of  the  Russian  emperor  to  solid  account.  It 
has  never,  in  truth,  been  difficult  to  excite  angry  and 
jealous  feelings  among  the  minor  maritime  powers, 
with  regard  to  the  naval  sovereignty  of  England.  The 
claim  of  the  right  of  searching  neutral  ships,  and  her 
doctrine  on  the  subject  of  blockades,  had  indeed  been 
recognized  in  many  treaties  by  Russia,  and  by  every 
maritime  government  in  Europe.  Nevertheless,  the 


144  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1801 

old  grudge  remained  ;  and  Bonaparte  now  artfully  em- 
ployed every  engine  of  diplomacy  to  awaken  a  spirit 
of  hostility  against  England,  first  in  the  well-prepared 
mind  of  the  czar,  and  then  in  the  cabinets  of  Prussia 
Denmark,  and  Sweden.  The  result  was,  in  effect,  a 
coalition  of  these  powers  against  the  mjstress  of  the 
seas  ;  and,  at  the  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
England  had  to  contemplate  the  necessity  of  encoun- 
tering, single-handed,  the  colossal  military  force  of 
France,  and  the  combined  fleets  of  Europe. 

Early  in  March,  admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  and  vice- 
admiral  lord  Nelson  conducted  a  fleet  into  the  Baltic, 
with  a  view  of  attacking  the  northern  powers  in  their 
own  harbors,  ere  they  could  effect  their  meditated 
junction  with  the  fleets  of  France  and  Holland.  The 
English  passed  the  Sound  on  the  13th  of  March,  and 
reconnoitred  the  road  of  Copenhagen,  where  the 
crown-prince,  regent  of  Denmark,  had  made  formida- 
ble preparations  to  receive  them.  It  was  on  the  2d  of 
April  that  Nelson,  who  had  volunteered  to  lead  the  as- 
sault, having  at  length  obtained  a  favorable  wind,  ad- 
vanced with  twelve  ships  of  the  line,  besides  frigates 
and  fire-ships,  upon  the  Danish  armament,  which  con- 
sisted of  six  sail  of  the  line,  eleven  floating  batteries, 
and  an  enormous  array  of  small  craft,  all  chained  to 
each  other  and  to  the  ground,  and  protected  by  the 
crown-batteries,  mounting  eighty-eight  guns,  and  the 
fortifications  of  the  isle  of  Amack.  The  battle  lasted 
for  four  hours,  and  ended  in  a  signal  victory.  Some  few 
schooners  and  bomb-vessels  fled  early,  and  escaped : 
the  whole  Danish  fleet  besides  were  sunk,  burned,  or 
taken.  The  prince-regent,  to  save  the  capital  from 
destruction,  was  compelled  to  enter  into  a  negotiation, 
which  ended  in  the  abandonment  of  1,he  French  alliance 
by  Denmark.  Lord  Nelson  then  reconnoitred  Stock- 
holm ;  but,  being  unwilling  to  inflict  unnecessary  suf- 
fering, did  not  injure  the  city,  on  discovering  that  the 
Swedish  fleet  had  already  put  to  sea.  Meantime,  news 
arrived  that  Paul  had  been  assassinated  in  his  palace 
at  St.  Petersburg;  and  that  the  policy  which  he  had 
adopted,  to  the  displeasure  of  the  Russian  nobility,  was 


1801.]  PROJECTED    INVASION.  145 

likely  to  find  no  favor  with  his  successor.  The  moving 
spirit  of  the  northern  confederacy  was,  in  effect,  no 
more,  and  a  brief  negotiation  ended  in  its  total  disrup- 
ture. 

In  Egypt  the  English  arms  were  alike  successful.  A 
single  campaign  served  them  to  wrest  that  whole 
country  from  French  dominion,  awakening  thus  a 
strong  confidence  at  home  that  success  everywhere 
awaited  them. 

On  learning  the  fate  of  Egypt,  Bonaparte  exclaimed, 
"  Well,  there  remains  only  the  descent  on  Britain ;"  and 
in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  not  less  than  100,000 
troops  were  assembled  on  the  coasts  of  France.  An 
immense  flotilla  of  flat-bottomed  boats  was  prepared  to 
carry  them  across  the  channel,  whenever,  by  any 
favorable  accident,  it  should  be  clear  of  the  English 
fleets ;  and  both  the  soldiery  and  the  seamen  of  the  in- 
vading armament  were  trained  and  practised  inces- 
santly, in  every  exercise  and  manreuvre  likely  to  be 
of  avail  when  that  long-looked-for  day  should  arrive. 
These  preparations  were  met  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, on  the  part  of  the  English  government  and  na- 
tion. Lord  Nelson  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
channel  fleet ;  and  the  regular  army  was  reinforced  on 
shore  by  a  multitude  of  new  and  enthusiastic  volun- 
teers ;  men  of  all  parties  and  ranks  joining  heart  and 
hand  in  the  great  and  sacred  cause.  Lord  Nelson 
more  than  once  reconnoitred  the  flotilla  assembled  at 
Boulogne,  and  at  length  attempted  the  daring  move- 
ment of  cutting  out  the  vessels,  in  the  teeth  of  all  tire 
batteries.  The  attempt  was  unsuccessful,  but  as  Nel- 
son continued  to  watch  the  channel  with  unsleeping 
vigilance,  all  hope  of  carrying  out  his  project  faded 
from  the  mind  of  Napoleon. 

The  success  of  the  English  in  the  Baltic  and  in 
Egypt  were  well  calculated  to  dispose  Napoleon  for 
negotiation  ;  and  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Pitt,  who  was 
considered  throughout  Europe  as  the  author  and  very 
soul  of  the  anti-revolutionary  war,  was  not  without  its 
influence.  On  the  other  hand,  Napoleon's  mighty  suc- 
cesses against  the  German  emperor  had  been  followed 
10  G 


146  NAPOLEON    BON^-^RTE.  [1802. 

up  this  same  year  by  the  march  of  a  French  and 
Spanish  army  into  Portugal,  in  consequence  of  which 
that  last  ally  of  England  had  been  compelled  to  sub- 
mit to  the  general  fate  of  the  continent.  On  both  sides 
there  existed  the  strongest  motives  for  accommoda- 
tion ;  and,  in  effect,  after  a  tedious  negotiation,  the 
preliminaries  of  peace  were  signed,  on  the  10th  of  Oc- 
tober, -at  Amiens.  By  this  treaty,  England  surrender- 
ed all  the  conquests  which  she  had  made  during  the 
war,  except  Ceylon  and  Trinidad.  France,  on  the 
other  hand,  restored  what  she  had  taken  from  Portu- 
gal, and  guaranteed  the  independence  of  the  Ionian 
islands.  Malta  was  to  be  restored  to  the  Knights  of  St. 
John,  and  declared  a  free  port :  neither  England  nor 
France  was  to  have  any  representatives  in  the  order ; 
and  the  garrison  was  to  consist  of  the  troops  of  a 
neutral  power.  This  article  was  that  which  cost  the 
greatest  difficulty — and  Malta  was  destined  to  form 
the  pretext,  at  least,  for  the  re-opening  of  the  war  at 
no  distant  date. 

The  peace  of  Amiens  opened  again  to  the  English 
the  continent  of  Europe,  which  had  been  virtually 
shut  against  them  for  the  last  ten  years ;  and  now,  in 
the  first  eagerness  of  curiosity,  travellers  of  all  ranks, 
ages,  and  sexes  poured  across  the  channel,  to  contem- 
plate, with  their  own  eyes,  the  scenes  and  effects  of 
the  many  wonderful  deeds  and  changes  which  had 
been  wrought  since  the  outbreaking  of  the  French 
revolution.  The  chief  object  of  curiosity  was  Napo- 
leon himself;  and  English  statesmen,  of  the  highest 
class,  were  among  those  who  now  thronged  the  levees 
of  the  Tuileries.  Mr.  Fox,  in  particular,  seems  to 
have  been  noticed  by  the  chief  consul ;  and  these  two 
great  men  parted  with  feelings  of  mutual  admiration. 
Our  countrymen,  in  general,  were  received  in  Paris 
with  extraordinary  attentions  and  civilities  ;  and,  for  a 
brief  space,  the  establishment  of  friendly  feelings  be- 
tween the  two  nations  was  confidently  expected. 

The  English  were  agreeably  disappointed  with  the 
condition  of  Paris.  To  their  great  surprise  they  found 
the  consular  court  already  arranged,  in  many  parlicu- 


1802.]  PARTIAL    AMNESTY.  147 

lars,  upon  the  old  model  of  the  monarchy,  and  daily 
approximating  to  that  example,  step  by  step.  Jose- 
phine had  restored,  titles  alone  excepted,  the  old  lan- 
guage of  polite  intercourse:  Citoyenne  had  been  re- 
placed by  Madame;  and  Citoyen  was  preparing  to 
make  way  for  Monsieur.  The  emigrant  nobility  had 
ilocked  back  in  great  numbers  ;  and  Bonaparte,  dis- 
pensing with  the  awkward  services  of  his  aids-de- 
camp in  the  interior  of  the  palace,  was  now  attended 
by  chamberlains  and  other  officers  of  state — chosen, 
for  the  most  part,  from  the  highest  families  of  the 
monarchy,  and  who  studiously  conducted  themselves 
towards  the  chief  consul  exactly  as  if  the  crown  of 
Louis  XVI.  had  descended  to  him  by  the  ordinary 
laws  of  inheritance.  Napoleon  himself,  if  we  may  be- 
lieve Madame  de  Stael,  had  the  weakness  to  affect,  in 
many  trivial  matters,  a  close  imitation  of  what  his  new 
attendants  reported  to  have  been  the  personal  demean- 
or of  the  Bourbon  princes.  His  behavior,  as  the 
holder  of  a  court,  was  never  graceful.  He  could  not, 
or  would  not,  control  the  natural  vehemence  of  his 
temper,  and  ever  and  anon  confounded  the  old  race  of 
courtiers,  by  ebullitions  which  were  better  suited  to 
the  camp  than  the  saloons  of  the  Tuileries.  But 
whenever  he  thought  fit  to  converse  with  a  man  capa- 
ble of  understanding  him,  the  consul  failed  not  to  cre- 
ate a  very  lively  feeling  in  his  own  favor  ;  and,  mean- 
time, Josephine  was  admirably  adapted  to  supply  his 
deficiencies  in  the  management  of  circles  and  fes- 
tivals. 

The  labor  which  Napoleon  underwent  at  this  period, 
when  he  was  consolidating  the  administration  through- 
out France  (in  every  department  of  which  intolerable 
confusion  had  arisen  during  the  wars  and  tumults  of 
the  preceding  years),  excited  the  astonishment  of  all 
who  had  access  to  his  privacy.  He  exhausted  the 
energies  of  secretary  after  secretary  ;  seemed  hardly  to 
feel  the  want  of  sleep ;  and  yet  sustained  the  unparal- 
leled fatigue  without  having  recourse  to  any  stimulus 
stronger  than  lemonade.  Of  the  many  great  measures 
adopted  and  perfected  during  this  short-lived  peace  was 


148  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1802. 

a  decree  of  the  senate,  dated  26th  of  April,  1802,  allow- 
ing emigrants  to  return  to  France,  provided  they  chose 
to  do  so  within  a  certain  space  of  time,  and  to  pledge 
allegiance  to  the  consular  government ;  and  offering  to 
restore  to  such  persons  whatever  property  of  theirs 
having  been  confiscated  during  the  revolution,  still  re 
mained  at  the  disposal  of  the  state. 

A  still  more  important  measure  was  that  by  which 
the  Romish  religion  was  finally  re-established  as  the 
national  faith.  The  sparing  of  the  papal  dominion  after 
Marengo,  and  the  re-opening  of  the  churches  in  France, 
were  the  preliminaries  of  the  peace  which  was,  at 
length,  signed  on  the  18th  of  September,  1802,  between 
the  pope  and  the  revolutionary  government.  This 
famous  concordat  was  the  work  of  Napoleon  himself, 
who  seems  to  have  met  with  more  opposition,  when- 
ever he  touched  the  matter  of  religion,  than  the  men 
of  the  revolution,  with  whom  he  consulted,  thought  fit 
to  exhibit  on  any  other  occasions  whatever.  The 
question  was  argued  one  evening,  at  great  length,  on 
the  terrace  of  the  garden  at  Bonaparte's  favorite  villa 
of  Malrnaison.  The  chief  consul  avowed  himself  to  be 
no  believer  in  Christianity ;  "  But  religion,"  said  he, 
"  is  a  principle  which  cannot  be  eradicated  from  the 
heart  of  man/'  "  Who  made  all  that  ?"  said  Napoleon, 
looking  up  to  the  heaven,  which  was  clear  and  starry. 
"  But  last  Sunday  evening,"  he  continued,  "  I  was 
walking  here  alone  when  the  church  bells  of  the  village 
of  Ruel  rung  at  sunset.  I  was  strongly  moved,  so 
vividly  did  the  image  of  early  days  come  back  with  that 
sound.  If  it  be  thus 'with  me,  what  must  it  be  with 
others  ? — In  re-establishing  the  church,"  he  added,  "  I 
consult  the  wishes  of  the  great  majority  of  my  people." 

The  concordat  gave  no  satisfaction  to  the  high 
Catholic  party,  who  considered  it  as  comprehending 
arrangements  wholly  unworthy  of  the  dignity  o-f  the 
pope,  and  the  destruction  of  the  authority  of  the  church. 
The  great  majority  of  the  nation,  however,  were  wise 
enough  to  be  contented  with  conditions  which  the 
Vatican  had  been  pleased  to  admit.  The  pope  acceded 
to  it  only  by  reason  of  the  exigency  of  the  times,  but 


1802.]  CONSULAR    ADMINISTRATION.  149 

the  bishops  gave  Napoleon  much  trouble  in  carrying  it 
out.  Owing  to  these  vexations,  he  is  said  to  have  oc- 
casionally expressed  his  regret  in  moments  of  spleen 
that  he  should  ever  have  had  recourse  to  this  concordat: 
but  at  St.  Helena,  when  looking  back  calmly,  he  said 
that  it  was  so  needful  a  measure  that  had  there  been 
no  pope,  one  ought  to  have  been  created  for  the  occa- 
sion. 

The  name  of  the  first  consul  was  now  introduced 
into  the  church  service  at  least  as  often  as  that  of  the 
king  had  used  to  be.  The  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame 
was  prepared  for  the  solemn  reception  of  the  concordat. 
Napoleon  appeared  there  with  the  state  and  retinue  of 
a  monarch ;  and  in  every  part  of  the  ceremonial  the 
ancient  rules  were  studiously  attended  to.  The  prelate 
who  presided  was  the  same  archbishop  of  Aix  who  had 
preached  the  coronation  sermon  of  Louis  XVI. 

A  third  great  measure,  adopted  about  the  same 
period,  was  received  with  unqualified  applause.  This 
was  the  establishment  of  a  national  system  of  educa- 
tion, the  necessity  of  which  had  been  much  felt,  since 
the  old  universities  and  schools  under  the  management 
of  the  clergy  h-ad  been  broken  up  amid  the  first  violence 
of  the  revolution.  The  Polytechnic  School,  established 
under  the  direction  of  Monge,  dates  from  this  epoch  ; 
and  furnished  France,  in  the  sequel,  with  a  long  train 
of  eminent  men  for  every  department  of  'the  public 
service. 

It  was  now  also  that  the  chief  consul  commenced  the 
great  task  of  providing  France  with  a  uniform  code  of 
.aws.  He  himself  took  constantly  an  earnest  share  in 
the  deliberations  of  the  jurists,  who  were  employed  in 
this  gigantic  undertaking  ;  and  astonished  them  by  the 
admirable  observations  which  his  native  sagacity  sug- 
gested, in  relation  to  matters  commonly  considered  as 
wholly  out  of  the  reach  of  unprofessional  persons.  But 
of  the  new  code  we  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  here- 
after. 

Bonaparte  at  this  period  devised,  and  began  to  put 
into  execution,  innumerable  public  works,  of  the  high- 
est utility.  The  inland  navigation  of  Languedoc  was 


150  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  '1802 

to  be  made  complete  :  a  great  canal  between  the  Yonne 
and  the  Saonne  was  begun,  for  the  purpose  of  creating 
a  perfect  water  communication  quite  across  the  repub- 
lican dominion — from  Marseilles  to  Amsterdam.  Num- 
berless bridges,  roads,  museums,  were  planned  ;  and 
the  vain  were  flattered  with  rising  monuments  of  mag- 
nificence, while  the  wise  recognized  in  every  such  dis- 
play the  depth  and  forecast  of  a  genius  made  for 
empire. 

It  is  said  that  the  first  idea  of  the  legion  of  honor 
arose  in  the  breast  of  Napoleon  on  witnessing  one  day, 
from  a  window  at  the  Tuileries,  the  admiration  with 
which  the  crowd  before  the  palace  regarded  the  stars 
and  crosses  worn  by  the  marquis  Lucchesini,  ambassa- 
dor of  Prussia,  as  he  descended  from  his  carriage.  The 
republican  members  of  the  senate  could  not  be  persua- 
ded that  the  institution  of  an  order,  with  insignia,  was 
anything  but  the  first  step  to  the  creation  of  a  new 
body  of  nobility ;  and  they  resisted  the  proposed 
measure  with  considerable  pertinacity.  On  this  head, 
as  on  that  of  the  concordat  with  the  pope,  the  chief 
consul  condescended  to  enter  personally  into  discussion 
with  the  chief  persons  who  differed  from  his  opinion, 
or  suspected  his  intentions :  and  if  any,  who  heard  his 
language  on  this  occasion,  doubted  that  both  nobility 
and  monarchy  were  designed  to  follow  hard  behind  the 
legion  of  honor,  they  must  have  been  singularly  slow 
of  understanding.  Berthier  had  called  ribbons  and 
crosses  "  the  playthings  of  monarchy/'  and  cited  the 
Romans  of  old  as  "  having  no  system  of  honorary  re- 
wards." "They  are  always  talking  to  us  of  the 
Romans,"  said  Bonaparte.  "  The  Romans  had  patri- 
cians, knights,  citizens,  and  slaves : — for  each  class 
different  dresses  and  different  manners— honorary  rec- 
ompenses for  every  species  of  merit — mural  crowns — 
civic  crowns — ovations — triumphs — titles.  When  the 
noble  band  of  patricians  lost  its  influence,  Rome  fell  to 
pieces — the  people  were  vile  rabble.  It  was  then  that 
you  saw  the  fury  of  Marius,  the  proscriptions  of  Sylla, 
and  afterward  ot  the  emperors.  In  like  manner,  Brutus 
is  talked  of  as  the  enemy  of  tyrants  :  he  was  °"  iristo- 


1802.]  LEGION    OF    HONCrt.  151 

crat,  who  stabbed  Caesar,  because  Caesar  wished  to 
lower  the  authority  of  the  noble  senate.  You  talk  of 
child's  rattles — be  it  so :  it  is  with  such  rattles  that 
men  are  led.  I  would  not  say  that  to  the  multitude  ; 
but  in  a  council  of  statesmen  one  may  speak  the  truth. 
I  do  not  believe  that  the  French  people  love  liberty  and 
equality.  Their  character  has  not  been  changed  in 
ten  years  :  they  are  still  what  their  ancestors,  the  Gauls, 
were,  vain  and  light.  They  are  susceptible  but  of  one 
sentiment — honor.  It  is  right  to  afford  nourishment  to 
this  sentiment,  and  to  allow  of  distinctions.  Observe 
how  the  people  bow  before  the  decorations  of  foreign- 
ers. Voltaire  calls  the  common  soldiers  Alexanders  at 
five  sous  a  day.  He  was  right :  it  is  just  so.  Do  you 
imagine  that  you  can  make  men  fight  by  reasoning  ? 
Never.  You  must  bribe  them  with  glory,  distinctions, 
rewards.  To  come  to  the  point ;  .during  ten  years 
there  has  been  a  talk  of  institutions.  Where  are  they  ? 
All  has  been  overturned :  our  business  is  to  build  up. 
There  is  a  government  with  certain  powers  ;  as  to  all 
the  rest  of  the  nation,  what  is  it  but  grains  of  sand  ? 
Before  the  republic  can  be  definitely  established,  we 
must,  as  a  foundation,  cast  some  blocks  of  granite  on 
the  soil  of  France.  In  fine,  it  is  agreed  that  we  have 
need  of  some  kind  of  institutions.  If  this  legion  of 
honor  is  not  approved,  let  some  other  be  suggested.  I 
do  not  pretend  that  it  alone  will  save  the  state  ;  but  it 
will  do  its  part."  Such  were  the  words  of  Napoleon 
when  the  scheme  was  in  preparation.  Many  years 
afterward,  in  his  exile  at  St.  Helena,  he  thus  spoke  of 
his  order.  "  It  was  the  reversion  of  every  one  who  was 
an  honor  to  his  country,  stood  at  the  head  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  contributed  to  the  national  prosperity  and 
glory.  Some  were  dissatisfied  because  the  decoration 
was  alike  for  officers  and  soldiers ;  others  because  it 
was  given  to  civil  and  military  merit  indiscriminately. 
But  if  ever  it  cease  to  be  the  recompense  of  the  brave 
private,  or  be  confined  to  soldiers  alone,  it  will  cease 
to  be  the  legion  of  honor." 

On  the  15th  of  May,  1802,  the  legion  of  honor  was 
formally  instituted,  the  crosses  widely  distributed  among 


152  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1802. 

the  soldiery,  and  among  citizens  of  almost  all  profes- 
sions. 

The  personal  authority  of  the  future  emperor,  mean- 
time, was  daily  widening  and  strengthening.  After  the 
consulate  was  established  in  France,  some  correspond- 
ing change  in  the  government  of  the  Cisalpine  republic 
was  judged  necessary,  and  Napoleon  took  care  that  it 
should  be  so  conducted  as  to  give  himself  not  only  per- 
manent, but  wholly  independent,  power  beyond  the 
Alps.  A  convention  of  450  Italian  deputies  was  sum- 
moned to  meet  at  Lyons ;  and  there  Talleyrand  was 
ready  to  dictate  the  terms  of  a  new  constitution,  by 
which  the  executive  functions  were  to  be  lodged  in  a 
president  and  vice-president,  the  legislative  in  a  council 
chosen  from  three  electoral  colleges.  It  was  next  pro- 
posed that  Bonaparte  should  be  invited  to  take  on  him 
the  office  of  president — Bonaparte,  it  was  studiously  ex- 
plained, not  as  chief  consul  of  France,  but  in  his  own 
individual  capacity.  He  repaired  to  Lyons  in  person, 
and  having  harangued  the  convention  in  the  Italian 
tongue,  assumed  the  dignity  thus  conferred  on  him  on 
the  2d  of  January,  1802. 

The  next  step  was  to  prolong  the  period  of  his 
French  consulate'.  Chabot  de  L'Allier,  his  creature, 
moved  in  the  tribunate  that  the  conservative  senate 
should  be  requested  to  mark  the  national  feelings  of 
gratitude  by  conferring  some  new  honor  on  Napo- 
leon. The  senate  proposed  accordingly  that  he  should 
be  declared  consul  for  a  second  period  of  ten  years,  to 
commence  at  the  expiration  of  his  present  magistracy. 
He  thanked  them  ;  but  said  he  could  not  accept  of  any 
prolongation  of  his  power  except  from  the  suffrages  of 
the  people.  To  the  people  the  matter  was  to  be  refer- 
red ;  but  the  second  and  third  consuls,  in  preparing  the 
edict  of  the  senate  for  public  inspection  and  ratifica- 
tion, were  instructed  by  their  master-colleague  to  in- 
troduce an  important  change  in  its  terms.  The  ques- 
tion which  they  sent  down  was,  "  Shall  Bonaparte  be 
chief  consul  for  life  ?"  No  mention  was  made  of  ten 
years.  Books  were  opened  as  on  a  former  occasion  : 
the  officers  of  government  in  the  departments  well 


1802.]  CONSUL    FOR    LIFE. 

knew  in  what  method  to  conduct  the  business,  and  the 
voice  of  the  nation  was  declared  to  be  in  favor  of  the 
decree.  Some  few  hundreds  of  sturdy  republicans 
alone  recorded  their  opposition  ;  and  Carnot,  who  head- 
ed them,  said  he  well  knew  he  was  signing  his  own 
sentence  of  exile.  But  Napoleon  was  strong  enough 
to  dispense  with  any  such  severities.  Carnot  remain- 
ed in  safety,  but  out  of  office,  until,  many  years  after- 
ward, his  services  were  tendered  and  accepted  on  the 
entrance  of  foreign  invaders  into  France.  Bonaparte 
was  proclaimed  consul  for  life  on  the  15th  of  May. 

Shortly  afterward,  in  the  committee  occupied  with 
the  code,  Napoleon  entered  upon  a  long  disquisition  in 
favor  of  the  Roman  law  of  adoption,  urging,  with  in- 
trepid logic,  that  an  heir  so  chosen  ought  to  be  even 
dearer  than  a  son.  The  object  of  this  harangue  was  not 
difficult  of  detection.  Napoleon  had  no  longer  any 
hope  of  having  children  by  Josephine ;  and  meditated 
the  adoption  of  one  of  his  brother's  sons  as  his  heir.  In 
the  course  of  the  autumn  a  simple  edict  of  the  conserv- 
ative senate  authorized  him  to  appoint  his  successor 
in  the  consulate  by  a  testamentary  deed.  By  this  act 
(Aug.  2,  1802)  a  new  dynasty  was  called  to  the  throne 
of  France.  The  farce  of  opening  books  in  the  depart- 
ments was  dispensed  with.  Henceforth  the  words 
"  Liberty,  Equality,  Sovereignty  of  the  People,"  dis- 
appeared from  the  state  papers  and  official  documents 
of  the  government — nor  did  the  change  attract  much 
notice.  The  nation  had  a  master,  and  sat  by,  indiffer- 
ent spectators ;  while  he,  under  whose  sway  life  and 
property  were  considered  safe,  disposed  of  political 
rights  and  privileges  according  to  his  pleasure. 

This  year  was  distinguished  by  events  of  another 
order,  and  not  likely  to  be  contemplated  with  indif- 
ference by  the  powers  of  Europe.  After  the  peace  of 
Amiens  was  ratified,  certain  treaties,  which  the  chief 
consul  had  concluded  with  Turkey,  Spain,  and  Portu- 
gal, and  hitherto  kept  profoundly  secret,  were  made 
known.  The  Porte,  it  now  appeared,  had  yielded  to 
France  all  the  privileges  of  commerce  which  that  gov- 
ernment had  ever  conceded  to  the  most  favored  na- 


154  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1802. 

tions.  Spain  had  agreed  that  Parma,  after  the  death 
of  the  reigning  prince,  should  be  added  to  the  domin- 
ions of  France :  and  .Portugal  had  actually  ceded  her 
province  in  Guyana.  In  every  quarter  of  the  world 
the  grasping  ambition  of  Bonaparte  seemed  to  have 
found  some  prey. 

Nearer  him,  in  the  mean  time,  he  had  been  preparing 
to  strike  a  blow  at  the  independence  of  Switzerland, 
and  virtually  united  that  country  also  to  his  empire. 
The  contracting  parties  in  the  treaty  of  Luneville  had 
guaranteed  the  independence  of  the  Helvetic  republic, 
and  the  unquestionable  right  of  the  Swiss  to  model 
their  government  in  what  form  they  pleased.  There 
were  two  parties  there  as  elsewhere — one  who  desired 
the  full  re-establishment  of  the  old  federative  constitu- 
tion— another  who  preferred  the  model  of  the  French 
republic  "one  and  indivisible."  To  the  former  party 
the  small  mountain  cantons  adhered — the  wealthier 
and  aristocratic  cantons  to  the  latter.  Their  disputes 
at  last  swelled  into  civil  war — and  the  party  who  pre- 
ferred the  old  constitution,  being  headed  by  the  gallant 
Aloys  Reding,  were  generally  successful.  Napoleon, 
who  had  fomented  their  quarrel,  now,  unasked  and  un- 
expected, assumed  to  himself  the  character  of  arbiter 
between  the  contending  parties.  He  addressed  a  letter 
to  the  eighteen  cantons,  in  which  these  words  occur  : 
"  Your  history  shows  that  your  intestine  wars  cannot 
be  terminated,  except  through  the  intervention  of 
France.  I  had,  it  is  true,  resolved  not  to  intermeddle  in 
your  affairs — but  I  cannot  remain  insensible  to  the  dis- 
tress of  which  T  jee  you  the  prey  : — I  recall  my  resolu- 
tion of  neutrality — I  consent  to  be  the  mediator  in  your 
differences."  Rapp,  adjutant-general,  was  the  bearer  of 
this  insolent  manifesto.  To  cut  short  all  discussion, 
Ney  entered  Switzerland  at  the  head  of  40,000  troops. 
Resistance  was  hopeless.  Aloys  Reding  dismissed  his 
brave  followers,  was  arrested,  and  imprisoned  in  the 
castle  of  Aarburg.  The  government  was  arranged 
according  to  the  good  ple-asure  of  Napoleon,  who 
henceforth  added  to  his  other  titles  that  of  "grand 
mediator  of  *he  Helvetic  republic."  Switzerland  was. 


1802.]  TOUSSAINT    L'OUVERTURE.  155 

.n  effect,  degraded  into  a  province  of  France  ;  and  be- 
came bound  to  maintain  an  army  of  16,000  men,  who 
vere  to  be  at  the  disposal,  whenever  it  should  please 
him  to  require  their  aid,  of  the  grand  mediator.  Eng- 
land sent  an  envoy  to  remonstrate  against  this  signal  and 
unprovoked  rapacity  :  but  the  other  powers  suffered 
it  to  pass  without  any  formal  opposition. 

Before  the  close  of  1801,  Bonaparte  had  sent  an  ex- 
pedition to  St.  Domingo  for  the  purpose  of  re-conquer- 
ing that  island  to  France.  The  colored  population  had 
risen,  at  the  revolutionary  period,  upon  their  white  mas- 
ters, and  after  scenes  of  terrible  slaughter  and  devasta- 
tion, emancipated  themselves.  The  chief  authority  was, 
by  degrees,  vested  in  Toussaint  L/Ouverture,  a  negro, 
who,  during  the  war,  displayed  the  ferocity  of  a  barba- 
rian, but  after  its  conclusion,  won  the  applause  and 
admiration  of  all  men  by  the  wisdom  and  humanity 
of  his  administration.  Conscious  that,  whenever  peace 
should  be  restored  in  Europe,  France  would  make 
efforts  to  recover  her  richest  colony,  Toussaint  adopted 
measures  likely  to  conciliate  the  exiled  planters  and  the 
government  of  the  mother  country.  A  constitution  on 
the  consular  model  was  established,  Toussaint  being 
its  Bonaparte ;  the  supremacy  of  France  was  to 
be  acknowledged  to  a  certain  extent, ;  and  the  white 
proprietors  were  to  receive  half  the  produce  of  the 
lands  of  which  the  insurgents  had  taken  possession. 
But  Napoleon  heard  of  all  th-^s<>  arrangements  with 
displeasure  and  contempt.  He  fitted  out  a  numerous 
fleet,  carrying  an  army  full  20,000  strong,  under  the 
orders  of  general  Leclerc,  the  husband  of  his  own  favo- 
rite sister  Pauline.  Leclerc  summoned  Toussaint 
(Jan.  2,  1802)  to  surrender,  in  a  letter  which  convey- 
ed expressions  of  much  personal  respect  from  Bona- 
parte. The  negro  chief,  justly  apprehending  insinceri- 
ty, stood  out,  defended  himself  gallantly  for  a  brief 
space ;  but  stronghold  after  stronghold  yielded  to 
numbers  and  discipline  ;  and  at  length  he  too  submit- 
ted, on  condition  that  he  should  be  permitted  to  retire 
in  safety  to  his  plantation.  Some  obscure  rumors  of 
insurrection  were  soon  made  the  pretext  for  arresting 


156  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1802. 

him  ;  and  he,  being  put  on  board  ship,  and  sent  to 
France,  was  shut  up  in  a  dungeon,  where  either  the 
midnight  cord  or  dagger,  or  the  wasting  influence  of 
confinement  and  hopeless  misery,  ere  long  put  an  end 
to  his  life.  His  mysterious  fate,  both  before  and  after 
its  consummation,  excited  great  interest. 

The  course  of  Napoleon's  conduct,  in  and  out  of 
Europe,  was  calculated  to  fill  all  independent  neigh- 
bors with  new  or  aggravated  suspicion ;  and  in  Eng- 
land, where  public  opinion  possesses  the  largest  means 
of  making  itself  heard,  and  consequently  the  greatest 
power,  the  prevalence  of  such  feelings  became,  from 
day  to  day,  more  marked.  The  British  envoy's  recla- 
mation against  the  oppression  of  Switzerland,  was  but 
one  of  many  drops,  which  were  soon  to  cause  the  cup 
of  bitterness  to  overflow.  As  in  most  quarrels,  there 
was  something  both  of  right  and  of  wrong  on  either 
side.  When  the  English  government  remonstrated 
against  any  of  those  daring  invasions  of  the  rights  of 
'ndependent  nations,  or  crafty  enlargements,  by  diplo- 
natic  means,  of  the  power  of  France,  by  which  this 
oeriod  of  peace  was  distinguished,  the  chief  consul 
could  always  reply,  that  the  cabinet  of  St.  James's  on 
their  part,  had  not  yet  fulfilled  one  article  of  the  treaty 
of  Amiens,  by  placing  Malta  in  the  keeping  of  some 
power  which  had  been  neutral  in  the  preceding  war. 
The  rejoinder  was  obvious:  to  wit,  that  Napoleon  was 
every  day  taking  measures  wholly  inconsistent  with 
that  balance  of  power  which  the  treaty  of  Amiens 
contemplated.  It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  he,  in  his 
ambitious  movements,  had  contrived  to  keep  within 
the  strict  terms  of  the  treaty ;  and  it  can  as  little  be 
disputed  that  the  English  cabinet  hadequity  with  them, 
although  they  violated  the  letter  of  the  law,  in  their 
retention  of  the  inheritance  of  the  knights  of  St.  John. 
The  feelings  of  the  rival  nations,  however,  were 
soon  kindled  into  rage :  and,  on  either  side  of  the 
channel,  the  language  of  public  prints  assumed  a  com- 
plexion of  even  more  bitter  violence  than  had  been 
observable  during  the  war.  The  English  journalists 
^sorted  to  foul,  and  often  false,  and  even  absurd,  per 


1802.]       COURSE  OF  THE  PUBLIC  PRESS.         157 

sonal  criminations  of  the  chief  consul  of  France  :  and 
the  Parisian  newspapers  replied  in  language  equally 
indefensible  on  the  score  of  truth  and  decency.  When 
Napoleon  complained  to  the  English  ministers,  their 
answer  was  obvious  ;  "  Our  courts  of  law  are  open — 
we  are  ourselves  accustomed  to  be  abused  as  you  are, 
and  in  them  we,  like  you,  have  our  only  recourse." 
The  paragraphs  in  the  Moniteur,  on  the  other  hand, 
were,  it  was  impossible  to  deny,  virtually  so  many 
manifestos  of  the  Tuileries. 

Of  all  the  popular  engines  which  moved  the  spleen 
of  Napoleon,  the  most  offensive  was  a  newspaper 
("L'Ambigu")  published  in  the  French  language,  in 
London,  by  one  Peltier,  a  royalist  emigrant;  and,  in 
spite  of  all  the  advice  which  could  be  offered,  he  at 
length  condescended  to  prosecute  the  author  in  the 
English  courts  of  law.  M.  Peltier  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  retain,  as  his  counsel,  Sir  James  Mackintosh, 
an  advocate  of  most  brilliant  talents,  and,  moreover, 
especially  distinguished  for  his  support  of  the  original 
principles  of  the  French  revolution.  On  the  trial 
which  ensued,  this  orator,  in  defence  of  his  client,  de- 
livered a  philippic  against  the  personal  character  and 
ambitious  measures  of  Napoleon,  immeasurably  more 
calculated  to  injure  the  chief  consul  in  public  opinion 
throughout  Europe,  than  all  the  efforts  of  a  thousand 
newspapers ;  and,  though  the  jury  found  Peltier  guilty 
of  libel,  the  result  was,  on  the  whole,  a  signal  triumph 
to  the  party  of  whom  he  had  been  the  organ. 

This  was  a  most  imprudent,  as  well  as  undignified 
proceeding;  but  ere  the  defendant,  Peltier,  could  be 
called  up  for  judgment,  the  doubtful  relations  of  the 
chief  consul  and  the  cabinet  of  St.  James's  were  to  as- 
sume a  different  appearance.  The  truce  of  Amiens 
already  approached  its  close.  Bonaparte  had,  perhaps, 
some  right  to  complain  of  the  unbridled  abuse  of  the 
British  press ;  but  the  British  government  had  a  fai 
more  serious  cause  of  reclamation  against  him.  Under 
pretence  of  establishing  French  consuls  for  the  protec- 
tion of  commerce,  he  sent  persons,  chiefly  of  the  mili- 
tary profession,  who  carried  orders  to  make  exact  plans 


158  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1803 

of  all  the  harbors  and  coasts  of  the  United  Kingdom. 
These  gentlemen  endeavored  to  execute  their  commis- 
sion with  all  possible  privacy ;  but  the  discovery  of 
their  occupation  was  soon  made ;  they  were  sent  back 
to  France  without  ceremony;  and  this  treacherous 
measure  of  their  government  was  openly  denounced  as 
a  violation  of  every  rule  of  international  law,  and  a 
plain  symptom  of  warlike  preparation. 

It  was  at  this  period  that  Napoleon  published,  in  the 
Moniteur,  a  long  memorial,  drawn  up  by  general  Se- 
bastiani,  who  had  just  returned  from  a  mission  to  the 
Levant,  abounding  in  statements,  and  clothed  in  lan- 
guage, such  as  could  have  had  no  other  object  but  to 
inflame  the  government  of  England  to  extremity.  Se- 
bastiani  detailed  the  incidents  of  his  journey  at  great 
length,  representing  himself  as  having  been  every- 
where received  with  honor,  and  even  with  enthusiasm, 
as  the  envoy  of  Napoleon.  Such,  he  said,  were  the 
dispositions  of  the  Mussulmans,  that  6000  French 
would  now  suffice  to  restore  Egypt  to  the  republic , 
and  it  was  in  vain  that  general  Stuart,  who  represent- 
ed the  English  king  in  that  country,  had  endeavored 
to  excite  the  Turkish  government  to  assassinate  him, 
Sebastiani.  Lastly,  the  report  asserted,  that  the  Ionian 
islands  would,  on  the  first  favorable  occasion,  declare 
themselves  French. 

The  English  government  reclaimed  against  this  pub- 
lication, as  at  once  a  confession  of  the  dangerous  am- 
bition of  Bonaparte,  and  a  studied  insult  to  them, 
whose  representative's  character  and  honor  one  of  its 
chief  statements  must  have  been  designed  to  destroy, 
at  a  wilful  sacrifice  of  truth.  The  French  minister  re- 
plied, that  the  chief  consul  had  as  much  right  to  com- 
plain of  the  recent  publication  of  Sir  Robert  Wilson's 
Narrative  of  the  English  Expedition  to  Egypt,  which 
contained  statements  in  the  highest  degree  injurious  to 
his  character  and  honor ;  and  had,  nevertheless,  been 
dedicated  by  permission  to  the  duke  of  York.  Mean- 
while, the  language  of  the  press  on  either  side  became 
from  day  to  day  more  virulently  offensive  ;  and  various 
-members  of  the  British  parliament,  of  opposite  parties. 


A 803.]  LORD    WHITWORTH.  159 

and  of  the  highest  eminence,  did  not  hesitate  t&  rival 
the  newspapers  in  their  broad  denunciations  of  the 
restless  and  insatiable  ambition  of  the  chief  consul. — 
"Bonaparte,"  said  Mr.  Wyndham,  "is  the  Hannibal 
who  has  sworn  to  devote  his  life  to  the  destruction  of 
England.  War  cannot  be  far  off,  and  I  believe  it 
would  be  much  safer  to  anticipate  the  blow  than  to  ex- 
pect it.  I  would  advise  ministers  to  appeal  to  the 
high-minded  and  proud  of  heart — whether  they  suc- 
ceed or  not,  we  sha!l  not  then  go  down  like  the  Angus- 
tuli."  '•  The  destruction  of  this  country,"  said  Mr 
Sheridan,  "  is  the  first  vision  that  breaks  on  the  French 
consul  through  the  gleam  of  the  morning;  this  is  his 
last  prayer  at  night,  to  whatever  deity  he  may  address 
it,  whether  to  Jupiter  or  to  Mahomet,  to  the  ^oddess 
of  battle  or  the  goddess  of  reason.  Look  at  the  map 
of  Europe,  from  which  France  was  said  to  be  expung- 
ed, and  now  see  nothing  but  France.  If  the  ambition 
of  Bonaparte  be  immeasurable,  there  are  abundant 
reasons  why  it  should  be  progressive." 

Stung  to  the  quick  by  these  continual  invectives, 
Napoleon  so  far  descended  from  his  dignity  as  to  make 
them  the  subject  of  personal  complaint  and  reproach 
to  the  English  ambassador.  He  obtruded  himself  on 
the  department  of  Talleyrand,  and  attempted  to  shake 
the  resolution  of  the  ambassador,  lord  Whitworth,  by 
a  display  of  rude  violence,  such  as  had,  indeed,  suc- 
ceeded with  the  Austrian  envoy  at  Gampo-Formio,  but 
which  produced  no  effect  whatever  in  the  case  of  this 
calm  and  high-spirited  nobleman.  The  first  of  their 
conferences  took  place  in  February  ;  when  the  consu1 
harangued  lord  Whitworth  for  nearly  two  hours,  hard- 
ly permitting  him  to  interpose  a  word  on  the  other  side 
of  the  question.  "  Every  gale  that  blows  from  Eng- 
land.is  burdened  with  enmity,"  said  he  ;  "your  govern- 
ment countenances  Georges,  Pichegru,  and  other  in- 
famous men,  who  have  sworn  to  assassinate  me.  Your 
journals  slander  me,  and  the  redress  I  am  offered  is  but 
adding  mockery  to  insult.  I  could  make  myself  mas- 
ter of  Egypt  to-morrow,  if  I  pleased.  Egypt,  indeed, 
must,  sooner  or  later,  belong  to  France  ;  but  I  have  no 


160  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1803 

wish  to  go  to  war  for  such  a  trivial  object.  What 
could  I  gain  by  war  ?  Invasion  would  be  my  only 
means  ot  annoying  you,  and  invasion  you  shall  have, 
if  war  be  forced  on  me — but  I  confess  the  chances 
would  be  a  hundred  to  one  against  me  in  such  an  at- 
tempt. In  ten  years  I  could  not  hope  to  have  a  fleet 
able  to  dispute  the  seas  with  you ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  army  of  France  could  be  recruited  in  a  few 
weeks  to  480,000  men.  United,  we  might  govern  the 
world  ; — why  can  we  not  understand  each  other  ?" 
Lord  Whitworth  could  not  but  observe  the  meaning 
of  these  hints,  and  answered,  as  became  him,  that  the 
king  of  England  had  no  wish  but  to  preserve  his  own 
rights,  and  scorned  the  thought  of  becoming  a  partner 
with  France  in  a  general  scheme  of  spoliation  and  op- 
pression. They  parted  with  cold  civility,  and  negotia- 
tions were  resumed  in  the  usual  manner;  but  England 
stood  firm  in  the  refusal  to  give  up  Malta — at  least  for 
ten  years  to  come.  Meantime,  the  English  govern- 
ment openly  announced,  in  parliament,  that  the  posi- 
tion of  affairs  seemed  to  be  full  of  alarm — that  the 
French  were  manning  fleets  and  recruiting  their  armies, 
and  that  it  was  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  similar 
measures  ;  and,  accordingly,  a  considerable  addition  to 
the  military  establishment  was  agreed  to. 

This  public  message  from  the  king  to  the  parliament 
was  regarded  by  Bonaparte  as  an  outrage  and  breach 
of  faith.  So  irritated  did  it  ;nake  him  that  when  on 
the  13th  of  March  lord  Whitworth,  the  English  am- 
bassador, appeared  at  his  levee,  the  first  consul  did  not 
hesitate  to  signify  his  rage  at  the  insult.  The  whole 
diplomatic  corps  were  assembled,  and  Napoleon,  turn- 
ing to  lord  Whitworth,  exclaimed  aloud — "  You  are 
then  determined  on  war.  We  have  been  at  war  for 
fifteen  years — you  are  resolved  to  have  fifteen  years 
more  of  it — you  force  me  to  it."  He  then  turned  to 
the  other  ministers  and  said,  in  the  same  violent  tone, 
"  The  English  wish  for  war ;  but  if  they  draw  the  sword 
first,  I  will  be  the  last  to  sheath  it  again.  They  do  no* 
respect  treaties — henceforth  we  must  cover  them  with 
black  crape."  Then,  turning  again  to  Whitworth,  "  To 


1803.]  WAR    PROCLAIMED.  161 

what  purpose,"  he  cried,  "  are  these  armaments  ?  '  If 
you  arm,  I  will  arm  too  ;  if  you  fight,  I  can  fight  also 
You  may  destroy  France,  but  you  cannot  intimidate 
her."  "  We  desire  neither  to  injure  nor  to  alarm  her, 
but  to  live  on  terms  of  good  intelligence,"  said  lord 
Whitworth.  "  Respect  treaties,  then,"  said  Napoleon ; 
"woe  to  those  by  whom  they  are  not  respected! — they 
shall  be  responsible  to  Europe  for  the  result."  He  re- 
peated these  last  words  sternly,  and  immediately  quit- 
ted .the  apartment. 

England  was  ready  for  a  rupture,  and  using  this  cir- 
cumstance as  a  pretence  for  recalling  lord  Whit- 
worth,  she  immediately  began  preparations  for  hostili- 
ties'. On  the  18th  of  May  she  declared  war. 

Orders  had  previously  been  given  for  seizing  French 
shipping  wherever  it  could  be  found,  and  it  is  said  that 
200  vessels,  containing  property  to  the  amount  of  three 
millions  sterling,  had  been  laid  hold  of  accordingly,  ere 
the  proclamation  of  hostilities  reached  Paris.  Whether 
the  custom  of  thus  unceremoniously  seizing  private 
property,  under  such  circumstances,  be  right,  on  ab- 
stract principle,  or  wrong,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  custom  had  been  long  established,  acted  upon  by 
England  on  all  similar  occasions,  and  of  course  con- 
sidered, after  the  lapse  of  ages,  and  the  acquiescence 
of  innumerable  treaties,  as  part  and  parcel  of  the  Euro- 
pean system  of  warfare.  This  was  not  denied  by  Na- 
poleon ;  but  he  saw  the  opportunity,  and  determined 
to  profit  by  it,  of  exciting  the  jealousy  of  other  govern- 
ments of  reclaiming  against  the 'exercise,  on  the  part  of 
England,  of  a  species  of  assault  which  England,  from 
her  maritime  predominance,  has  more  temptations  and 
better  means  to  adopt  than  any  other  power.  He  re- 
solved, therefore,  to  retaliate  by  the  same  kind  of  out- 
rage. The  very^  night  that  the  resolution  of  the  cabi- 
net of  St.  James's  reached  Paris,  orders  were  given 
for  arresting  the  persons  of  all  English  subjects  re- 
siding or  travelling  within  the  dominions  of  France, 
and  not  less  than  10,000  persons,  chiefly  of  course  of 
the  higher  classes  of  society,  thus  found  themselves 
condemned  to  captivity  in  a  hostile  land. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

WAR  AGAIN — FRENCH  SEIZE  HANOVER  AND  NAPLES. — English  take  St. 
Domingo  and  other  Colonies — Scheme  of  invading  England  resumed 
— Plots  against  Napoleon — Murder  of  the  Duke  D'Enghien — Napo- 
leon Emperor  of  France — King  of  Italy — New  Coalition  against 
France-r-Napoleon  heads  the  Army  in  Germany — Operations  of  the 
War — Battle  of  Austerlitz — Treaty  of  Presburg — Confederation  of 
the  Rhine — Prussia  declares  War — Bonaparte  heads  the  Army — 
Naumburg  taken — Battle  of  Jena — Napoleon  enters  Berlin — Humil- 
iation of  Prussia— Incident— A.  D.  1803—1806. 

BOTH  parties,  equally  incensed  by  these  preliminary 
outrages,  now  vigorously  reopened  the  war.  The  Eng- 
lish fleets  rapidly  reconquered  various  colonies  sur- 
rendered back  to  France  by  the  treaty  of  Amiens,  and 
forced  also  the  dwindled  army  which  Leclerc  had  com- 
manded to  yield  up  St.  Domingo.  Bonaparte,  on  the 
other  hand,  sent  Mortier  to  seize  the  electorate  of 
Hanover,  as  a  pledge  he  said  for  the  delivery  of  Malta, 
and  at  the  same  time  and  with  the  same  pretext  he 
poured  an  army  into  the  south  of  Italy,  and  occupied 
Naples. 

General  Mortier's  appearance  on  the  Hanoverian 
frontier  was  such  as  to  satisfy  the  duke  of  Cambridge, 
governor  for  the  elector,  that  resistance  was  hopeless. 
He  entered  into  a  negotiation  (May,  1803),  by  which 
the  territory  was  to  be  surrendered,  provided  his  army 
were  permitted  to  retire  unbroken  behind  the  Elbe, 
pledging  themselves  not  to  take  the  field  again  against 
France  during  this  war.  But  the  ministers  of  George 
III.  advised  him  not  to  ratify  this  treaty.  Mortier  de- 
manded of  general  Walmsloden,  commander-in-chie*" 
of  the  Hanoverian  army,  to  surrender  his  arms — or 
abide  the  consequences  of  being  attacked  beyond  the 
E^be — and  that  fine  body  of  men  was  accordingly  dis 


1803.]  MORTJER    SEIZES    HANOVER.  163 

armed  and  disbanded.  The  cavalry  being  ordered  to 
dismount  and  yield  their  horses  to  the  French,  there 
ensued  a  scene  "which  moved  the  sympathy  of  the  in- 
vading soldiery  themselves.  The  strong  attachment 
between  the  German  dragoon  and  his  horse  is  well 
known  ;  and  this  parting  was  more  like  that  of  dear 
kindred  than  of  man  and  beast. 

The  emperor,  whose  duty  it  was,  as  head  of  the 
German  body,  to  reclaim  against  this  invasion  of  its 
territory,  was  obliged  to  put  up  with  the  consul's  ex- 
planation, viz.,  that  he  had  no  wish  to  make  the  con- 
quest of  Hanover,  but  merely  to  hold  it  until  England 
should  see  the  necessity  of  fulfilling  the  Maltese  article 
in  the  treaty  of  Amiens.  Prussia,  alarmed  at  the  near 
neighborhood  of  Mortier,  hardly  dared  to  remonstrate. 
Denmark  alone  showed  any  symptom  of  active  resent- 
ment. She  marched  30,000  men  into  her  German 
provinces:  but  finding  that  Austria  and  Prussia  were 
resolved  to  be  quiescent,  was  fain  to  offer  explanations, 
and  recall  her  troops.  The  French  general,  meantime, 
scourged  Hanover  by  his  exactions,  and  levied  heavy 
contributions  in  Bremen,  Hamburg,  and  the  other 
Hanse  towns  in  the  vicinity  of  the  electorate. 

These  successes  enabled  Napoleon  to  feed  great 
bodies  of  his  army  at  the  expense  of  others,  and  to 
cripple  the  commerce  of  England,  by  shutting  up  her 
communication  with  many  of  the  best  markets  on  the 
continent.  But  he  now  recurred  to  his  favorite  scheme, 
that  of  invading  the  island  itself,  and  so  striking  the 
fatal  blow  at  the  heart  of  his  last  and  greatest  enemy. 
Troops,  to  the  amount  of  160,000,  were  mustered  in 
camps  along  the  French  and  Dutch  coasts,  and  vast 
flotillas,  meant  to  convey  them  across  the  channel  were 
formed,  and  constantly  manoeuvred  in  various  ports, 
that  of  Boulogne  being  the  chief  station. 

The  spirit  of  England,  on  the  other  hand,  was  effec- 
tually stirred.  Her  fleets,  to  the  amount  of  not  less 
than  500  ships  of  war,  traversed  the  seas  in  all  direc- 
tions, blockaded  the  harbors  of  the  countries  in  which 
the  power  of  the  consul  was  predominant,  and  from 
time  to  time  made  inroads  into  the  French  ports,  cut- 


164  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1803. 

ting  out  and  destroying  the  shipping,  and  crippling  the 
flotillas.  At  home,  the  army,  both  regular  and  irregu- 
lar, was  recruited  and  strengthened  to  an  unexampled 
extent.  Camps  were  formed  along  the  English  coasts 
opposite  to  France,  and  the  king  in  person  was  con- 
tinually to  be  seen  in  the  middle  of  them.  By  night, 
beacons  blazed  on  every  hill-top  throughout  the  island; 
and  the  high  resolution  of  the  citizen-soldiery  was  at- 
tested, on  numberless  occasions  of  false  alarm,  by  the 
alacrity  with  which  they  marched  on  the  points  of 
supposed  danger.  There  never  was  a  time  in  which 
the  national  enthusiasm  was  more  ardent  and  concen- 
trated ;  and  the  return  of  Pitt  to  the  prime-ministry 
(March,  1804)  was  considered  as  the  last  and  best 
pledge  that  the  councils  of  the  sovereign  were  to  ex- 
hibit vigor  commensurate  with  the  nature  of  the  crisis. 
The  regular  army  in  Britain  amounted,  ere  long,  to 
100,000;  the  militia  to  80,000;  and  of  volunteer  troops 
there  were  not  less  than  350,000  in  arms. 

Soult,  Ney,  Davoust,  and  Victor  were  in  command 
of  the  army  designed  to  invade  England,  and  the  chief 
consul  personally  repaired  to  Boulogne  and  inspected 
both  the  troops  and  the  flotilla.  He  constantly  gave 
out  that  it  was  his  fixed  purpose  to  make  his  attempt 
by  means  of  the  flotilla  alone,  but  while  he  thus  en- 
deavored to  inspire  his  enemy  with  false  security  (for 
Nelson  had  declared  this  scheme  of  a  boat  invasion  to 
be  mad,  and  staked  his  whole  reputation  on  its  misera- 
ble and  immediate  failure,  if  attempted),  the  consul 
was  in  fact  providing  indefatigably  a  fleet  of  mert  of 
war,  designed  to  protect  and  cover  the  voyage.  These 
ships  were  preparing  in  different  ports  of  France  and 
Spain,  to  the  number  of  fifty:  Bonaparte  intended 
them  to  steal  out  to  sea  individually  or  in  small  squad- 
rons, rendezvous  at  Martinico,  and,  returning  thence 
in  a  body,  sweep  the  channel  free  of  the  English,  for 
such  a  space  of  time  at  least  as  might  suffice  for  the 
execution  of  his  great  purpose.  These  designs,  how- 
ever, were  from  day  to  day  thwarted  by  the  watchful 
zeal  of  Nelson,  and  the  other  English  admirals  ;  who 
observed  Brest,  Toulon,  Genoa,  and  the  harbors  of 


1803.]  INVASION    OF    ENGLAND.  165 

Spain  so  closely,  that  no  squadron,  nor  hardly  a  single 
vessel,  could  force  a  passage  to  the  Atlantic. 

Napoleon  persisted  to  the  end  of  his  life  in  asserting 
his  belief  that  the  invasion  of  England  was  prevented 
merely  by  a  few  unforeseen  accidents,  and  that,  had  his 
generals  passed  the  sea,  they  must  have  been  success- 
ful. The  accidents  to  which  he  attributed  so  much 
influence,  were,  it  is  to  be  supposed,  the  presence  and 
zeal  of  Nelson,  Pellew,  Cornwallis,  and  their  respective 
fleets  of  observation.  As  for  the  results  of  the  expedi- 
tion if  the  channel  had  once  been  crossed — Napoleon 
never  seemed  to  doubt  that  a  single  great  battle  would 
have  sufficed  to  place  London  in  his  hands.  Once  ar- 
rived jn  the  capital,  he  would,  he  said,  have  summoned 
a  convention,  restored  the  mass  of  the  English  people 
to  their  proper  share  of  political  power, — in  a  word, 
banished  the  king,  and  revolutionized  England  on  the 
model  of  France  :  the  meaning  of  all  which  is — redu- 
ced this  island  to  be  a  province  of  the  French  empire, 
and  yet  bestowed  upon  its  people  all  those  rights  and 
liberties  of  which  he  had  already  removed  the  last 
shadow,  wherever  his  own  power  was  established  on 
the  continent. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Napoleon  underrated 
the  resistance  which  would  have  been  opposed  to  his 
army,  had  it  effected  the  voyage  in  safety,  by  the  spirit 
of  the  British  people,  and  the  great  natural  difficulties 
of  the  country  through  which  the  invaders  must  have 
marched.  Nevertheless,  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that, 
had  the  attempt  been  made  instantly  on  the  rupture  of 
the  peace,  the  chances  of  success  might  have  been 
considerable. 

The  invasion  of  England  was  the  great  object  of  at- 
tention throughout  Europe  during  the  autumn  and 
vvinter  of  1803.  Early  in  the  succeeding  year  Paris 
itself  became  the  theatre  of  a  series  of  transactions 
which  for  a  time  engrossed  the  public  mind. 

Even  before  Bonaparte  proclaimed  himself  consul 
for  life,  it  appears  that,  throughout  a  considerable  part 
of  the  French  army,  strong  symptoms  of  jealousy  had 
been  excited  by  the  rapidity  of  his  advance  to  sove- 


166  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1803. 

reign  power.  After  the  monarchy  of  France  was  in 
effect  re-established  in  him  and  his  dynasty,  by  the  de- 
crees of  the  19th  of  May  and  2d  August,  1802,  this 
spirit  of  dissatisfaction  showed  itself  much  more  open- 
ly ;  and  ere  long  it  was  generally  believed  that  the  re- 
publican party  in  the  army  looked  up  to  Moreau  as 
their  head,  and  awaited  only  some  favorable  opportu- 
nity for  rising  in  arms  against  Napoleon's  tyranny. 
Moreau  was  known  to  have  treated  both  the  concor- 
dat and  the  legion  of  honor  with  undisguised  contempt ; 
and  Bonaparte's  strictures  on  his  conduct  of  the  cam- 
paign of  1801  were  not  likely  to  have  nourished  feel- 
ings of  personal  good-will  in  the  bosom  of  him  whom 
all  considered  as  second  only  to  the  chief  consul  him- 
self in  military  genius.  It  has  already  been  intimated 
that  the  army  of  the  Rhine  had  been  all  along  suspected 
of  regarding  Napoleon  with  little  favor.  He  had  never 
been  their  general ;  neither  they  nor  their  chiefs  had 
partaken  in  the  plunder  of  Italy,  or  in  the  glory  of  the 
battles  by  which  it  was  won.  It  was  from  their  ranks 
that  the  unhappy  expedition  under  Leclerc  had  been 
.chiefly  furnished,  and  they  considered  their  employ- 
ment in  that  unwholesome  climate  as  dictated,  more 
by  the  consul's  doubts  of  their  fidelity  to  himself,  than 
his  high  appreciation  of  their  discipline  and  gallantry. 
How  far  Pichegru,  while  corresponding  with  the  Bour- 
bons as  head  of  the  army  of  the  Rhine,  had  intrigued 
among  his  own  soldiery,  no  evidence  has  as  yet  ap- 
peared. But  after  Pichegru's  banishment,  Moreai> 
possessed  the  chief  sway  over  the  minds  of  one  great 
division  of  the  armed  force  of  the  republic. 

Carnot,  meantime,  and  other  genuine  republicans  in 
the  legislative  bodies,  had  been  occupied  with  the  en- 
deavor, since  they  could  not  prevent  Napoleon  from 
sitting  on  the  throne  of  France,  to  organize  at  least 
something  like  a  constitutional  opposition  (such  as  ex- 
ists in  the  parliament  of  England),  whereby  the  meas- 
ures of  his  government  might  be,  to  a  certain  extent, 
controlled  and  modified.  The  creation  of  the  legion 
of  honor,  the  decree  enabling  Bonaparte  to'apj/oint  his 
successor,  and  other  leading  measures,  had  accordingly 


1804.]  PICHEGRU CADOUDAL,    &C.  167 

been  carried  through,  far  less  triumphantly  than  could 
be  agreeable  to  the  self-love  of  the  autocrat. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  return  of  so  many  emigrants 
could  not  fail  to  strengthen  the  influence  of  the  roy- 
alists in  the  private  society  of  Paris ;  and,  by  degrees, 
as  has  often  happened  in  the  history  of  parties,  the 
leaders  of  the  republicans  and  those  of  the  Bourbon- 
ists  came  together,  sinking  for  the  time  the  peculiar 
principles  of  either  side,  in  the  common  feeling  of  ha- 
tred to  Napoleon. 

Pichegru  returned  from  his  exile  at  Cayenne,  and, 
after  spending  some  time  in  England,  where  he,  no 
doubt,  communicated  with  the  Bourbon  princes,  and 
with  some  members  of  Mr.  Addington's  government, 
passed  over  secretly  into  France.  Georges  Cadoudal 
and  other  Chouan  chiefs  were  busy  in  stirring  up  their 
old  adherents,  and  communicated  with  Pichegru  on  his 
arrival  at  Paris. 

Suddenly,  on  the  12th  of  February,  Paris  was  sur- 
prised with  the  announcement,  that  a  new  conspiracy 
against  the  life  of  the  chief  consul  had  been  discovered 
by  the  confession  of  an  accomplice — that  150  men  had 
meant  to  assemble  at  Malmaison,  in  the  uniform  of  the 
consular  guard,  and  seize  Bonaparte  while  hunting ; 
that  Georges,  the  Chouan,  had  escaped  by  a  quarter  of 
an  hour — but  that  Mairn,  La  Jollais,  and  other  leaders 
of  the  conspiracy  had  been  taken  ;  finally,  that  Moreau 
had  held  various  conferences  with  Georges,  La  Jollais, 
and  Pichegru,  and  that  he  also  was  under  arrest. 

It  is  said,  that  Georges  Cadoudal  had  once  actually 
penetrated  into  the  chamber  of  Napoleon  at  the  Tui- 
leries,  and  been  prevented  by  the  merest  accident  from 
assassinating  him :  others  of  the  conspirators  had  ap- 
proached his  person  very  nearly  on  pretext  of  present- 
ing petitions.  Bonaparte  attributed  his  escape  chiefly 
to  the  irregular  mode  of  living,  which  his  multifarious 
occupations  involved:  he  seldom  dined  two  days  .fol- 
lowing at  the  same  hour,  hardly  ever  stirred  out  of  the 
palace  except  with  his  attendants  about  him  for  some 
review  or  public  ceremony,  and  perhaps  never  appear- 
ed unguarded  except  where  his  appearance  must  have 


168  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1804. 

been  totally  unexpected.  The  officer,  who  betrayed 
Cadoudal  and  his  associates,  was,  it  seems,  a  violent 
republican,  and  as  such  desired  the  downfall  of  the  con- 
sul ;  but  he  had  also  served  under  Napoleon,  and  learn- 
jig  at  a  late  hour  that  the  Hie  of  his  old  leader  was  to 
be  sacrificed,  remonstrated  vehemently,  and  rather  than 
be  accessory  to  such  extremities,  gave  the  necessary 
information  at  the  Tuileries.  Moreau  was  arrested 
on  the  5th  of  February  :  but  Pichegru  lurked  undis- 
covered in  the  heart  of  Paris  until  the  28th :  six  gens 
d'armes  then  came  upon  his  privacy  so  abruptly  that 
he  could  not  use  either  his  dagger  or  pistols,  though 
both  were  on  his  table.  He  wrestled  for  a  moment, 
and  then  attempted  to  move  compassion — but  was 
immediately  fettered.  Shortly  after,  Cadoudal  himself, 
who  had  for  days  traversed  Paris  in  cabriolets,  not 
knowing  where  to  lay  his  head,  was  detected  while  at- 
tempting to  pass  one  of  the  barriers;  Captain  Wright, 
an  English  naval  officer,  who  had  distinguished  himself 
under  Sir  Sydney  Smith  at  Acre,  and  from  whose  ves- 
sel Pichegru  was  known  to  have  disembarked  on  the 
coast  of  France,  happened  about  the  same  time  to  en- 
counter a  French  ship  of  much  superior  strength,  and 
become  a  prisoner  of  war.  On  pretext  that  this  gen- 
tleman had  acted  as  an  accomplice  in  a  scheme  of  as- 
sassination, he  also  was  immediately  placed  in  solitary 
confinement  in  a  dungeon  of  the  Temple. 

It  was  now  openly  circulated  that  England  and  the 
exiled  Bourbons  had  been  detected  in  a  base  plot  for 
murdering  the  chief  consul ;  that  the  proof  of  their 
guilt  was  in  the  hands  of  the  government,  and  would 
soon  be  made  public.  The  due  de  Berri  himself,  it 
was  added,  had  been  prepared  to  land  on  the  west  coast 
of  France  whenever  Pichegru  or  Cadoudal  should  in- 
form him  that  the  time  was  come  ;  while  another  of 
the  royal  exiles  lay  watching  the  event,  and  in  readi- 
ness to  profit  by  it,  on  the  other  side,  immediately  be- 
hind the  Rhine. 

The  name  of  this  last  prince,  the  heir  of  Conde,  well 
known  for  the  brilliant  gallantry  of  his  conduct  while 
commanding  the  van  of  his  grandfather's  little  army  of 


1804.]  THE    DUKE    D'ENGHIEN.  169 

exiles,  and  beloved  for  many  traits  of  amiable  and  gen- 
erous character,  had  hardly  been  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  these  rumors,  ere  the  inhabitants  of  Paris 
heard,  in  one  breath,  with  surprise  and  horror,  that  the 
due  d'Enghien  had  been  arrested  at  Ettenheim,  and 
tried  and  executed  within  sight  of  their  own  houses,  at 
Vincennes.  This  story  will  ever  form  the  darkest 
chapter  in  the  history  of  Napoleon. 

The  duke  had  his  residence  at  a  castle  in  the  duchy 
of  Baden,  where,  attended  by  a  few  noble  friends,  the 
partakers  of  his  exile,  he  was  chiefly  occupied  with  the 
diversions  of  the  chase.  On  the  evening  of  the  14th 
of  March,  a  troop  of  French  soldiers  and  gens  d'arrnes, 
under  colonel  Ordonner  (who  derived  his  orders  from 
Caulaincourt),  suddenly  passed  the  frontier  into  the  in- 
dependent territory  of  Baden,  surrounded  the  castle  of 
Ettenheim,  rushed  into  the  apartment  of  the  prince, 
and  seized  him  and  all  his  company.  He  would  have 
used  his  arms,  but  his  attendants,  representing  the 
overpowering  numbers  of  the  assailants,  persuaded  him 
to  yield  without  resistance.  He  was  forthwith  con- 
veyed to  the  citadel  of  Strasburg,  and  separated  from 
all  his  friends,  except  one  aid-de-camp,  the  baron  de 
St.  Jaques,  and  allowed  no  communication  with  any 
xone  else.  After  being  here  confined  three  days,  he  was 
called  up  at  midnight  on  the  18th,  and  informed  that  he 
must  prepare  for  a  journey.  He  desired  to  have  the 
assistance  of  his  valet-de-chambre,  and  was  refused  : 
they  permitted  him  to  pack  up  two  shirts,  and  the  jour- 
ney immediately  began. 

The  duke  reached  Paris  early  on  the  20th ;  and, 
after  lying  a  few  hours  in  the  Temple,  was  removed 
to  the  neighboring  castle  of  Vincennes,  used  for  ages 
as  a  state  prison.  Being  much  fatigued  he  fell  asleep, 
but  was  presently  roused,  and  his  examination  forth- 
with commenced.  Weary  and  wholly  unprepared  as 
he  must  have  been,  the  unfortunate  prince  conducted 
himself  throughout  in  such  a  manner  as  to  command 
the  respect  of  his  inquisitors.  He  at  once  avowed 
his  name  and  his  services  in  the  army  of  Conde,  but 
utterly  denied  all  knowledge  of  Pichegru  and  his  de- 


1*70  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1804 

signs.  To  this  the  whole  of  his  evidence  (and  there 
was  no  evidence  but  his  own)  amounted ;  and  having 
given  it,  he  earnestly  demanded  an  audience  of  the 
consul,  "  My  name/'  said  he,  "  my  rank,  my  senti- 
ments, and  the  peculiar  distress  of  my  situation,  lead 
me  to  hope  that  this  request  will  not  be  refused." 

At  midnight  the  duke  was  again  called  from  his  bed. 
to  attend  the  court  which  had  been  constituted  for  his 
trial.  It  consisted  of  eight  military  officers,  appointed 
by  Murat,  Napoleon's  brother-in-law,  then  governor  of 
Paris.  General  Hullin,  president  of  the  military  com- 
mission, commanded  him  to  listen  to  the  charges  on 
which  he  was  to  be  tried :  of  having  fought  against 
France ;  of  being  in  the  pay  of  England  ;  and  of  plot- 
ting with  England  against  the  internal  and  external 
safety  of  the  republic.  The  duke  was  again  examined, 
and  the  second  interrogatory  was  a  mere  repetition  of 
the  first,  with  this  addition,  that  the  prisoner  avowed 
his  readiness  to  take  part  again  in  the  hostilities  against 
France,  if  the  opportunity  should  present  itself.  No 
other  evidence  whatever  was  adduced,  except  the  writ- 
ten report  of  a  spy  of  the  police,  who  testified  that  the 
duke  received  many  emigrants  at  his  table  at  Etten- 
heim,  and  occasionally  left  the  castle  for  several  days 
together,  without  the  spy's  being  able  to  trace  where 
he  was. 

General  Hullin,  in  his  account  of  the  proceedings, 
says,  "  He  uniformly  maintained  that  '  he  had  only  sus- 
tained the  rights  of  his  family,  and  that  a  Conde  could 
never  enter  France  but  with  arms  in  his  hands.  My 
birth,'  said  he,  '  and  my  opinions  must  ever  render  me 
inflexible  on  this  point.'  The  firmness  of  his  answers," 
continues  Hullin,  "  reduced  the  judges  to  despair.  Ten 
times  we  gave  him  an  opening  to  retract  his  declara- 
tions, but  he  persisted  in  them  immovably.  '  I  see/ 
he  said,  '  the  honorable  intentions  of  the  commissioners, 
but  I  cannot  resort  to  the  means  of  safety  which  they 
indicate/  Being  informed  that  the  military  commis- 
sion judged  without  appeal, '  I  know  it/  answered  he, 
nor  do  I  disguise  to  myself  the  danger  which  I  incur. 


1804.]  THE  DUKE  D'ENGHIEN.  171 

My  only  desire  is  to  have  an  interview  with  the  first 
consul.' " 

The  judges  were  moved  by  the  conduct  of  the  pris- 
oner, and  inclined  to  listen  to  his  request.  But  Sava- 
ry,  then  minister  of  police,  had  by  this  time  introduced 
himself  into  the  chamber,  and  watched  the  course  of 
procedure  from  behind  the  chair  of  the  president.  He 
now  leaned  forward,  and  whispered  into  Hullin's  ear. 
•'  This  would  be  inopportune."  These  significant  words 
were  obeyed.  The  court  pronounced  the  duke  guilty 
of  the  capital  crimes  of  having  fought  against,  the  re- 
public ;  of  having  intrigued  with  England  ;  of  having 
maintained  intelligence  with  Strasburg,  with  the  view 
of  seizing  that  place;  and  of  having  conspired  against 
the  life  of  the  chief  consul.  The  prisoner  being  re- 
manded to  his  confinement,  the  report  was  instantly 
forwarded  to  Bonaparte,  with  a  request  that  his  further 
pleasure  might  be  made  known. 

The  court  remained  sitting  until  this  messenger  re- 
turned ;  he  brought  back  their  own  letter  with  these 
words  inscribed  on  it,  "condemned  to  death."  The 
prisoner,  being  called  in  again,  heard  his  sentence  with 
perfect  composure.  He  requested  the  attendance  of  a 
confessor,  and  was  answered, — "  Would  you  die  like  a 
monk  ?"  Without  noticing  this  brutality  he  knelt  for 
a  moment,  as  in  prayer,  and  rising,  said,  "  Let  us  go/' 

He  was  immediately  led  down  a  winding  stair  by 
torchlight;  and,  conceiving  that  he  was  descending 
into  some  subterraneous  dungeon,  said  to  one  of  the 
soldiers  of  the  escort,  "Am  I  to  be  immured  in  an 
oubliette  ?"  "  Monseigneur,"  the  man  replied,  sobbing 
"be  tranquil  on  that  point."  They  emerged  from  a 
postern  into  the  ditch  of  the  castle,  where  a  party  of 
gens  d'armes  d'elite  were  drawn  up,  Savary,  their  mas- 
ter, standing  on  the  parapet  over  them.  It  was  now 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  gray  light  of  the 
dawn  was  mingled  with  the  gleam  of  torches.  The 
prince  refused  to  have  hfs  eyes  bandaged — Savary 
gave  the  word,  and  he  fell.  The  body,  dressed  as  it 
was,  was  immediately  thrown  into  a  grave,  which  had 


172  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1804. 

been  prepared  beforehand ;  at  least,  so  say  all  the  wit- 
nesses, except  M.  Savary. 

Such  was  the  fate  of  the  gallant  and  generous 
youth,  who,  by  his  fiery  courage,  won  the  battle  of 
Bertsheim ;  and  who,  when  his  followers,  to  whom  the 
republicans  had  so  often  refused  quarter,  seemed  dis- 
posed to  retaliate  in  the  hour  of  victory,  threw  himself 
between  them  and  their  discomfited  countrymen,  ex- 
claiming, "  They  are  French — they  are  unfortunate  ; 
I  place  them  under  the  guardianship  of  your  honor." 

The  horror  with  which  this  remorseless  tragedy  was 
heard  of  in  Paris,  soon  spread  throughout  all  Europe ; 
and  from  that  day  the  name  of  Bonaparte  was  irreme- 
diably associated  with  the  ideas  of  sullen  revenge  and 
tyrannic  cruelty.  The  massacre  of  Jaffa  had  been 
perpetrated  in  a  remote  land,  and  many  listened  with 
incredulity  to  a  tale  told  by  the  avowed  enemies  of  the 
homicide.  But  this  bloody  deed  was  done  at  home, 
and  almost  in  the  sight  of  all  Paris.  Of  the  fact  there 
could  be  no  doubt ;  and  of  the  pretexts  set  forth  by 
the  organs  of  the  French  government,  there  were  few 
men  of  any  party  who  affected  not  to  perceive  the  fu- 
tility. Hitherto  Napoleon  had  been  the  fortunate  heir 
of  a  revolution,  in  whose  civil  excesses  he  had  scarce- 
ly participated — henceforth  he  was  the  legitimate  rep- 
resentative and  symbol  of  all  its  atrocities. 

In  so  far  as  Bonaparte  had  the  power  to  suppress  all 
mention  of  this  catastrophe,  it  was,  ere  long,  suppress- 
ed. But  in  after  days,  at  St.  Helena,  when  dictating 
the  apology  of  his  life  to  the  companions  of  his  exile, 
he  not  only  spoke  openly  of  the  death  of  the  duke 
d'Enghien,  but  appears  to  have  dwelt  upon  it  often  and 
long.  Well  aware  that  this  was  generally  regarded  as 
the  darkest  trait  in  his  history,  he  displayed  a  feverish 
anxiety  to  explain  it  away.  But  the  sultan  Akber 
wore  a  signet,  inscribed,  "  I  never  knew  any  one  that 
lost  his  way  in  a  straight  road;"  and  he  that  is  con- 
scious of  innocence  can  have  no  temptation  to  multi- 
ply the  lines  of  his  defence.  Bonaparte,  according  to 
the  mood  of  the  moment,  or  the  companion  whom  he 
addressed,  adopted  different  methods  of  vindicating 


1804.]  DEATH    OF    PJCHEGRU WRIGHT.  173 

himself.  They  were  inconsistent  as  well  as  diverse; 
and  even  Las  Cases  seems  to  have  blushed  for  his  hero 
when  he  recorded  them. 

A  few  days  after  the  execution  of  the  duke  d'Enghien 
(on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  April),  general  Pichegru 
was  found  dead  in  prison  :  a  black  handkerchief  was 
tied  round  his  neck,  and  tightened  by  the  twisting  of  a 
short  stick,  like  a  tourniquet.  It  could  not  appear  prob- 
able that  he  should  have  terminated  his  own  life  by 
such  means ;  and,  accordingly,  the  rumor  spread  that 
he  had  been  taken  off  in  the  night  by  some  of  the  satel- 
lites of  Savary  ;  or,  according  to  others,  by  some  Mame- 
lukes whom  Napoleon  had  brought  with  him  from  the 
East,  and  now  retained  near  his  person  as  an  interior 
body-guard  of  the  palace.  This  is  a  mystery  which 
has  never  been  penetrated.  The  recent  fate  of  d'Eng- 
hien had  prepared  men  to  receive  any  story  of  this  dark 
nature  ;  and  it  was  argued  that  Bonaparte  had  feared 
to  bring  Pichegru,  a  bold  and  dauntless  man,  into  an 
open  court,  where  he  might  have  said  many  things 
well  calculated  to  injure  the  consul  in  public  opinion. 

A  few  more  days  elapsed,  and  another  occurrence  of 
the  same  cast  transpired.  Captain  Wright,  also,  was 
found  dead  in  his  dungeon  in  the  Temple,  with  his  throat 
cut  from  ear  to  ear.  The  French  government  gave 
out  that  the  English  officer,  finding  himself  about  to  be 
exposed  to  public  scorn,  as  a  participator  in  the  plots 
of  Georges  Cadoudal,  and  other  assassins,  chose  to  die 
by  his  own  hand,  rather  than  endure  such  degradation. 
It  was  whispered,  on  the  other  hand,  that  captain 
Wright  had  been  put  to  the  torture  in  his  dungeon,  in 
the  vain  hope  of  extracting  from  him  some  evidence 
concerning  matters  of  which,  there  can  be  no  doubt, 
he  was  wholly  ignorant;  and  was  murdered  in  order 
that  this  cruelty  might  be  buried  with  him.  This 
mystery  has  always  remained  as  dark  as  the  other. 

Moreau  was  now  brought  to  trial.  There  was  no 
evidence  against  him  except  the  fact,  admitted  by  him- 
self, that  he  had  been  twice  in  company  with  Pichegru 
since  his  return  to  Paris.  He  in  vain  protested  that 
he  had  rejected  the  proposals  ol  Pichegru  to  take  part 


174  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1804. 

in  a  royalist  insurrection  ;  and  as  for  the  murderous 
designs  of  Georges  Cadoudal,  that  he  had  never  even 
heard  of  them.  He  was  sentenced  to  two  years'  con- 
finement; but,  on  the  intercession  of  his  wife  with 
Josephine,  the  chief  consul,  ere  long,  commuted  this 
punishment  for  two  years  of  exile. 

It  remained  to  bring  Georges  Cadoudal  and  his  as- 
sociates to  trial.  Georges  appeared  in  court  with  the 
miniature  of  Louis  XVI.  suspended  round  his  neck, 
and  gloried  in  the  avowal  of  his  resolution  to  make  war 
personally  on  the  usurper  of  the  throne.  The  presiding 
judge,  Thuriot,  had  been  one  of  those  who  condemned 
the  king  to  death.  Georges  punned  on  his  name,  and 
addressed  him  as  "  Monsieur  Tue-Roi."*  When  called 
up  for  sentence,  the  judge  missed  the  miniature,  and 
asked  him  what  he  had  done  with  it.  "  And  you," 
answered  the  prisoner,  "  what  have  you  done  with  the 
original  ?" — a  retort  which  nothing  could  prevent  the 
audience  from  applauding.  Georges  and  eighteen  more 
were  condemned  to  death.  Of  the  rest,  among  whom 
were  two  sons  of  the  noble  house  of  Polignac,  some 
were  permitted  to  escape  on  condition  of  perpetual 
banishment ;  others  had  their  punishment  commuted 
to  imprisonment. 

With  what  indignation  the  death  of  the  duke  d'Eng- 
hien  had  been  heard  of  throughout  Europe,  now  began 
to  appear.  The  emperor  of  Russia  and  the  kings  of 
Sweden  and  Denmark  put  their  courts  into  mourning, 
and  made  severe  remonstrances  through  their  diplo- 
matic agents ;  and  the  correspondence  which  ensued 
laid  in  fact  the  train  for  another  general  burst  of  war. 
Austria  was  humbled  for  the  time,  and  durst  not  speak 
out:  Prussia  could  hardly  be  expected  to  break  her 
long  neutrality  on  such  an  occasion  :  but  wherever  the 
story  went,  it  prepared  the  minds  of  princes,  as  of  sub- 
jects, to  take  advantage  of  the  first  favorable  opportu- 
nity for  rising  against  the  tyranny  of  France. 

A  conspiracy  suppressed  never  fails  to  strengthen  the 
power  it  was  meant  to  destroy  :  and  Bonaparte,  after 
the  tragedies  of  d'Enghien  and  Pichegru,  beheld  the 
*  i.  6.  Kill-King. 


1804.]  CADOUDAL.  175 

French  royalists  reduced  everywhere  to  the  silence 
and  the  inaction  of  terror.  Well  understanding  the 
.national  temper,  he  gave  orders  that  henceforth  the 
name  of  the  exiled  family  should  be  as  much  as  possible 
kept  out  of  view,  and  accordingly,  after  this  time  it  was 
hardly  ever  alluded  to  in  the  productions  of  the  en- 
slaved press  of  Paris.  The  adherents  of  the  Bourbons 
were  compelled  to  content  themselves  with  muttering 
their  resentment  in  private  saloons,  where,  however, 
the  chief  consul  commonly  had  spies,  who  reported  to 
him,  or  to  his  Savarys  and  Pouches,  the  jests  and  the 
caricatures  in  which  the  depressed  and  hopeless  party 
endeavored  to  find  some  consolation. 

In  order  to  check  the  hostile  feeling  excited  among 
the  sovereigns  of  the  continent  by  the  murder  of  the 
Bourbon  prince,  the  French  government  were  now  in- 
defatigable in  their  efforts  to  connect  the  conspiracy 
of  Georges  Cadoudal  with  the  cabinet  of  England. 
The  agents  of  the  police  transformed  themselves  into 
numberless  disguises,  with  the  view  of  drawing  the 
British  ministers  resident  at  various  courts  of  Germany 
into  some  correspondence  capable  of  being  misrepre- 
sented, so  as  to  &dit  the  purpose  of  their  master.  Mr. 
Drake,  envoy  at  Munich,  and  Mr.  Spenser  Smith,  at 
Stuttgard,  were  deceived  in  this  fashion ;  and  some 
letters  of  theirs  furnished  Bonaparte  with  a  pretext  for 
complaining,  to  the  sovereigns  to  whom  they  were 
accredited,  that  they  had  stained  the  honor  of  the 
diplomatic  body  by  leaguing  themselves  with  the 
schemes  of  the  Chouan  conspirators.  The  subservient 
princes  were  forced  to  dismiss  these  gentlemen  from 
their  residences ;  but  the  English  ministry  made  such 
explanations  in  open  parliament  as  effectually  vindi- 
cated the  name  of  their  country. 

Meantime,  while  all  the  princes  of  Europe  regarded 
with  indignation  (though  few  of  them,  indeed,  dared  to 
express  the  feeling  openly)  the  cruel  tragedies  which 
had  been  acted  in  France,  the  death  of  Pichegru  had 
suppressed  effectually  the  hopes  of  the  royalists  in  that 
country,  and  the  exile  of  Moreau  deprived  the  republi- 
cans of  the  only  leader  under  whom  there  was  any  like- 


176  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1804 

lihood  of  their  taking  arms  against  the  chief  consul.  He 
resolved  to  profit  by  the  favorable  moment  for  comple- 
ting a  purpose  which  he  had  long  meditated ;  and,  on 
the  30th  of  April,,  little  more  than  a  month  after  the 
duke  d'Enghien  died,  one  Curee  was  employed  to 
move,  in  the  tribunate,  "  that  it  was  time  to  bid  adieu 
to  political  illusions — that  victory  had  brought  back 
tranquillity — the  finances  of  the  country  had  been  re- 
stored, and  the  laws  renovated — and  that  it  was  a 
matter  of  duty  to  secure  those  blessings  to  the  nation 
in  future,  by  rendering  the  supreme  power  hereditary 
in  the  person  and  family  of  Napoleon." — "  Such/'  he 
said,  "  was  the  universal  desire  of  the  army  and  of  the 
people.  The  title  of  emperor,  in  his  opinion,  was  that 
by  which  Napoleon  should  be  hailed,  as  best  corres- 
ponding to  the  dignity  of  the  nation." 

This  motion  was  carried  in  the  tribunate,  with  one 
dissenting  voice,  that  of  Carnot ;  who,  in  a  speech  of 
great  eloquence,  resisted  the  principle  of  hereditary 
monarchy  altogether.  He  admitted  the  merits  in  war 
and  in  policy  of  the  chief  consul — he  was  at  present  the 
dictator  of  the  republic,  and,  as  such,  had  saved  it. — • 
"  Fabius,  Camillus,  Cincinnatus  were  dictators  also. 
Why  should  not  Bonaparte,  like  them,  lay  down  des- 
potic power,  after  the  holding  of  it  had  ceased  to  be 
necessary  to  the  general  good  ?  Let  the  services  of  a 
citizen  be  what  they  might,  was  there  to  be  no  limit  to 
the  gratitude  of  the  nation  ?  But,  at  all  events,  even 
granting  that  Bonaparte  himself  could  riot  be  too  high- 
ly rewarded  or  too  largely  trusted,  why  commit  the 
fortunes  of  posterity  to  chance  ?  Why  forget  that 
Vespasian  was  the  father  of  Domitian,  Germanicus,  of 
Caligula,  Marcus  Aurelius  of  Commodus  ?"  In  effect, 
Carnot,  colleague  as  he  had  been  of  Robespierre,  and 
stained  as  he  was  with  the  blood  of  Louis  XVL,  was  a 
sincere  republican  ;  and,  after  his  own  fashion,  a  sin- 
cere patriot.  He  was  alone  in  the  tribunate — the 
rest  of  whose  members  prolonged,  during  three  whole 
days,  a  series  of  fulsome  harangues,  every  one  of  which 
terminated  in  the  same  implicit  agreement  to  the  pro- 
posal of  Curee. 


1804.]  EMPEROR    OF    THE    FRENCH.  177 

The  legislative  body,  without  hesitation,  adopted  it ; 
and  a  senatus-consulturn  forthwith  appeared,  by  which 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  declared  emperor  of  the 
French  :  the  empire  to  descend  in  the  male  line  of  his 
descendants  :  in  case  of  having  no  son,  Napoleon  might 
adopt  any  son  or  grandson  of  his  brothers  as  his  heir : 
in  default  of  such  adoption,  Joseph  and  Louis  Bona- 
parte were  named  as  the  next  heirs  of  the  crown  (Lu- 
cien  and  Jerome  being  passed  over,  as  they  had  both 
given  offence  to  Napoleon  by  their  marriages).  The 
members  of  Napoleon's  family  were  declared  princes 
of  the  blood  of  France. 

This  decree  was  sent  down  to  the  departments :  and 
the  people  received  it  with  indifference.  The  prefects 
reported,  on  the  1st  of  December,  that  between  three 
and  four  millions  of  citizens  had  subscribed  their  assent 
to  the  proposed  measure,  while  not  many  more  than 
three  thousand  voted  in  opposition  to  it.  This  result 
indicated,  as  these  functionaries  chose  to  say,  the 
unanimous  approbation  of  the  French  people.  That 
nation,  however,  consisted  at  the  time  of  more  than 
thirty  millions! 

But  Napoleon  did  not  wait  for  this  authority,  such 
as  it  proved  to  be.  On  the  18th  of  May  he  openly  as- 
sumed the  imperial  title  and  dignity.  On  the  same  day 
he  nominated  his  late  colleagues  in  the  consulate,  Carn- 
baceres  and  Le  Brun,  the  former  to  be  arch-chancel- 
lor, the  latter  arch-treasurer  of  the  empire.  The  offices 
of  high  constable,  grand  admiral,  &c.,  were  revived 
and  bestowed  on  his  brothers,  and  others  of  his  imme- 
diate connections.  Seventeen  generals  (viz.  Bert  bier, 
Murat,  Moncey,  Jourdan,  Massena,  Augereau,  Berna- 
dotte,  Soult,  Brune,  Lannes,  Mortier,  Ney,  Davoust, 
Bessieres,  Kellermann,  Lefebre,  Perignon,  Serrurier) 
were  named  marshals  of  the  empire  ;  Duroc,  grand 
marshal  of  the  palace ;  Caulaincourt,  master  of  the 
horse;  Berthier,  grand  huntsman;  and  count  Segur, 
a  nobleman  of  the  ancient  regime,  master  of  the  cere- 
monies. It  was  in  vain  attempted  to  excite  popular 
enthusiasm.  "  It  appeared,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  as 
if  the  shades  of  d'Enghien  and  Pichegru  had  hovered 


178  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1804. 

over  the  scene,  and  spread  coldness  on  all  that  was 
meant  for  the  manifestation  of  joy." 

It  was  not  so  with  the  soldiery.  Napoleon,  with  his 
empress,  visited  the  camps  at  Boulogne,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  the  excess  of  military  applause  and  devo- 
tion. He  made  a  progress  to  Aix-la-Chapelle,  and 
along  the  Rhenish  frontier,  flattered  and  extolled  at 
every  station.  Except  Russia,  Sweden,  and  England, 
Every  crown  in  Europe  sent  to  congratulate  him  on 
his  enrolment  in  the  body  of  hereditary  monarchs. 
Nay,  not  a  few  of  the  smaller  German  potentates  came 
in  person,  to  swell,  on  this  great  occasion,  the  state  and 
magnificence  of  the  new  imperial  court. 

In  assuming  the  title  of  emperor,  not  of  king,  it  es- 
caped not  observation  that  Napoleon's  object  was  to 
carry  back  the  minds  of  the  French  to  a  period  ante- 
cedent to  the  rule  of  the  recently  dethroned  dynasty — 
to  the  days  of  Charlemagne,  who,  with  the  monarchy 
of  France,  combined  both  a  wider  dominion  and  a 
loftier  style.  As  that  great  conqueror  had  caused  him- 
self to  be  crowned  by  pope  Leo,  so  Napoleon  now  de- 
termined that  his  own  inauguration  should  take  place 
under  the  auspices  of  Pius  VII;  nay,  that  the  more  to 
illustrate  his  power,  the  head  of  the  Catholic  church 
should  repair  to  Paris  for  this  purpose.  It  may  be 
doubted  whether,  in  this  measure,  he  regarded  more  the 
mere  gratification  of  his  pride,  or  the  chance  of  confer- 
ring a  character  of  greater  solemnity  on  the  installation 
of  the  new  dynasty,  in  the  eyes  of  the  Catholic  popula- 
tion of  France.  On  the  5th  of  November,  however, 
the  unresisting  pope  left  Rome,  and,  having  been  re- 
ceived throughout  his  progress  with  every  mark  of 
respect  and  veneration,  arrived  in  Paris  to  bear  his 
part  in  the  great  pageant.  On  the  2d  of  December, 
Bonaparte  and  Josephine  appeared,  amid  all  that  was 
splendid  and  illustrious  in  their  capital,  and  were 
crowned  in  Notre  Dame.  The  pope  blessed  them,  and 
consecrated  the  diadems  ;  but  these  were  not  placed  on 
their  heads  by  his  hand.  That  office,  in  either  case 
Napoleon  himself  performed.  Throughout  the  cere- 
monial his  aspect  was  thoughtful  ;  it  was  on  a  stern 


1805.]  KING    OF    ITALY.  179 

and  gloomy  brow  that  he  with  his  own  hands  planted 
the  symbol  of  successful  ambition  and  uneasy  power, 
and  the  shouts  of  the  deputies  present,  carefully  selected 
for  the  purpose,  sounded  faint  and  hollow  amid  the 
silence  of  the  people. 

As  a  necessary  sequel  to  these  proceedings  in  Paris, 
the  senators  of  the  Italian  republic  now  sent  in  their 
humble  petition  that  their  president  might  be  pleased 
to  do  them  also  the  favor  to  be  crowned  as  their  king 
at  Milan.  The  emperor  proceeded  to  that  city  accord- 
ingly, and,  in  like  fashion,  on  the  26th  of  May,  1805, 
placed  on  his  own  head  the  old  iron  crown,  said  to  have 
been  worn  by  the  Lombard  kings,  uttering  the  words 
which,  according  to  tradition,  they  were  accustomed 
to  use  on  such  occasions,  "  God  hath  given  it  me.  Be- 
ware  who  touches  it.." — Napoleon  henceforth  styled 
himself  Emperor  of  the  French  and  King  of  Italy,  but 
announced  that  the  two  crowns  should  not  be  held  by 
the  same  person  after  his  death. 

It  was  not,  however,  for  mere  purposes  of  ceremo- 
nial that  he  had  once  more  passed  the  Alps.  The 
Ligurian  republic  sent  the  doge  to  Milan,  to  congratu- 
late the  king  of  Italy,  and  also  to  offer  their  territories 
for  the  formation  of  another  department  of  the  French 
empire.  But  this  was  a  step  of  his  ambition  which  led 
to  serious  results. 

Meantime,  Eugene  Beauharnois,  son  to  Josephine, 
was  left  viceroy  at  Milan,  and  the  imperial  pair  returned 
to  Paris. 

On  the  27th  of  January  1805,  Napoleon,  in  his  new 
character  of  emperor,  addressed  a  letter  (as  he  had 
done  before  at  the  commencement  of  his  consulate) 
to  King  George  III.  in  person  ;  and  was  answered,  as 
before,  by  the  British  secretary  of  state  for  foreign 
affairs.  The  new  emperor's  letter  contained  many 
well-turned  sentences  about  the  blessings  of  peace,  but 
no  distinct  proposition  of  any  kind — least  of  all  any 
hint  that  he  was  wilVing  to  concede  Malta.  The  Eng- 
lish minister,  however,  answered  simply,  that  in  the 
present  state  of  relations  between  the  cabinet  of  St. 
James's  and  that  of  St.  Petersburg,  it  was  impossible 


180  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1805 

for  the  former  to  open  any  negotiation  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  latter. 

This  sufficiently  indicated  a  fact  of  which  Napoleon 
had  just  suspicion  some  time  before.  The  murder  of 
the  duke  d'Enghien  had  been  regarded  with  horror 
by  the  young  emperor  of  Russia ;  he  had  remonstrated 
vigorously,  and  his  reclamations  had  been  treated  with 
indifference.  The  king  of  Sweden,  immediately  after 
he  heard  of  the  catastrophe  at  Vincennes.  had  made 
known  his  sentiments  to  the  czar:  a  strict  alliance  had 
been  signed  between  those  two  courts  about  a  fort- 
night ere  Napoleon  wrote  to  the  king  of  England ;  and 
it  was  now  obvious  that  the  northern  powers  had,  in 
effect,  resolved  to  take  part  with  Great  Britain  in  her 
struggle  against  France.  Napoleon  now  made  the 
Moniteur  the  vehicle  of  continual  abuse  against  the 
sovereigns  of  Russia  and  Sweden ;  and  the  latter 
caused  a  note  to  be  handed  to  the  French  minister  at 
Stockholm,  complaining  of  the  "  indecent  and  ridicu- 
lous insolence  which  Monsieur  Bonaparte  had  per- 
mitted to  be  inserted"  in  that  official  journal. 

The  cabinets  of  London,  Petersburg,  and  Stockholm 
were  now  parties  in  a  league  which  had  avowedly  the 
following  objects : — to  restore  the  independence  of 
Holland  and  Switzerland ;  to  free  the  north  of  Ger- 
many from  the  presence  of  French  troops  ;  to  procure 
the  restoration  of  Piedmont  to  the  king  of  Sardinia; 
and,  finally,  the  evacuation  of  Italy  by  Napoleon 
Until,  by  the  attainment  of  these  objects,  the  sway  of 
France  should  be  reduced  to  limits  compatible  with  the 
independence  of  the  other  European  states,  no  peace 
was  to  be  signed  by  any  of  the  contracting  powers ; 
and,  during  several  months,  every  means  was  adopted 
to  procure  the  association  of  Austria  and  Prussia.  But 
the  latter  of  these  sovereigns  had  the  misfortune  at  this 
time  to  have  a  strong  French  party  in  his  council,  and 
though  personally  hostile  to  Napoleon,  could  not  as  yet 
count  on  being  supported  in  a  war  against  France  by 
the  hearty  good-will  of  an  undivided  people.  Austria, 
on  the  other  hand,  had  been  grievously  weakened  by 
the  campaign  of  Marengo,  and  hesitated,  on  prudential 


1805.]  PRUSSIA BAVARIA.  181 

grounds,  to  commit  herself  once  more  to  the  hazard  of 
arms. 

The  czar  repaired  in  person  to  Berlin,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  stimulating  the  king  of  Prussia.  The  two 
sovereigns  met  in  the  vault  where  the  great  Frederick 
lies  buried,  and  swore  solemnly,  over  his  remains,  to 
effect  the  liberation  of  Germany.  But  though  thus 
pledged  to  the  czar,  the  king  of  Prussia  did  not  hastily 
rush  into  hostilities.  He  did  not  even  follow  the  ex- 
ample of  the  Austrian,  whose  forbearance  was  at 
length  wholly  exhausted  by  the  news  of  the  coronation 
at  Milan,  and  annexation  of  Genoa  to  the  empire  of 
France. 

The  government  of  Vienna  no  sooner  heard  of  this 
new  aggrandizement,  than  it  commenced  warlike  prep- 
arations, rashly  and  precipitately,  without  making  sure 
of  the  co-operation  of  Prussia,  or  even  waiting  until 
the  troops  of  Russia  could  perform  the  march  into 
Germany.  Austria  was  guilty,  moreover,  of  even  a 
greater  fault  than  this.  The  emperor  haughtily  de- 
manded that  the  elector  of  Bavaria  should  take  the 
field  also ;  nay,  that  he  should  suffer  his  army  to  be  en- 
tirely incorporated  with  the  Austrian,  and  commanded 
by  its  chiefs.  The  elector,  who  had  a  son  travelling 
in  France,  resisted  anxiously  and  strenuously.  "  On 
my  knees,"  he  wrote  to  the  emperor,  "  I  beg  of  you 
that  I  may  be  permitted  to  remain  neutral."  This  ap- 
peal was  disregarded.  The  Austrian  troops  advanced 
into  Bavaria,  where  they  appear  to  have  conducted 
themselves  as  in  an  enemy's  country  ;  and  the  indig- 
nant elector  withdrew  his  army  into  Franconia,  where 
he  expected  the  advance  of  the  French  as  liberators. 

This  unjustifiable  behavior  on  the  part  of  Austria 
was  destined  to  be  severely  punished.  No  sooner  did 
Napoleon  understand  that  war  was  inevitable,  than  he 
broke  up  his  great  army  on  the  coast  opposite  to  Eng- 
land, and  directed  its  march  upon  the  German  frontier; 
while  Massena  received  orders  to  assume,  also,  the 
offensive  in  Italy,  and  force  his  way,  if  possible,  into  the 
hereditary  states  of  Austria.  The  favorite  scheme  of 
Carnot  was  thus  revived  ;  and  two  French  armies,  one 


182  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1805. 

crossing  the  Rhine,  and  the  other  pushing  through  the 
Tyrolese,  looked  forward  to  a  junction  before  the  walls 
of  Vienna. 

The  rashness  which  had  characterized  the  conduct 
of  the  cabinet  of  Vienna,  was  fatally  followed  out  in 
that  of  its  general,  Mack :  instead  of  occupying  the 
line  of  the  river  Inn,  which,  extending  from  the  Tyrol 
to  the  Danube  at  Passau,  affords  a  strong  defence  to 
the  Austrian  territory,  and  on  which  he  might  have 
expected,  in  comparative  safety,  the  arrival  of  the 
Russians — this  unworthy  favorite  of  the  emperor  left 
the  Inn  far  behind  him,  and  established  his  head- 
quarters on  the  western  frontier  of  Bavaria,  at  Ulm. 

Napoleon  hastened  to  profit  by  this  unpardonable 
error.  Bernadotte  advanced  from  Hanover,  with  the 
troops  which  had  occupied  that  electorate,  towards 
Wurtzburg,  where  the  Bavarian  army  lay  ready  to  join 
its  strength  to  his ;  five  divisions  of  the  great  force 
lately  assembled  on  the  coasts  of  Normandy  under  the 
orders  of  Davoust,  Ney,  Soult,  Marmont,  and  Van- 
damme,  crossed  the  Rhine  at  different  points,  all  to  the 
northward  of  Mack's  position  ;  while  a  sixth,  under 
Murat,  passing  at  Kehl,  manoeuvred  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  withdraw  the  Austrian's  attention  from  these 
movements,  and  to  strengthen  him  in  his  belief  that 
Napoleon  and  all  his  army  were  coming  against  him, 
through  the  Black  Forest,  in  his  front. 

The  consequences  of  Bonaparte's  combinations  were, 
that  while  Mack  lay  expecting  to  be  assaulted  in  front 
of  Ulm,  the  great  body  of  the  French  army  advanced 
mto  the  heart  of  Germany,  by  the  left  side  of  the  Dan- 
abe,  and  then,  throwing  themselves  across  that  river, 
took  ground  in  his  rear,  interrupting  his  communica- 
tion with  Vienna,  and,  in  fact,  isolating  him.  In  order 
ihat  Bernadotte  and  the  Bavarians  might  have  a  part 
»n  this  great  manoeuvre,  it  was  necessary  that  they 
should  disregard  the  neutrality  of  the  Prussian  territo- 
ries of  Anspach  and  Bareuth  ;  and  Napoleon,  well 
iware  of  the  real  sentiments  of  the  court  of  Berlin,  did 
-lot  hesitate  to  adopt  this  course.  Prussia  remon- 
rtrated  indignantly,  but  still  held  back  from  proclaim- 


1805.]  GENERAL    MACK.  183 

ing  war;  and  Napoleon  cared  little  for  such  impedi- 
ments as  mere  diplomacy  could  throw  in  the  way  of 
his  campaign.  He  did  not,  however,  effect  his  pur- 
pose of  taking  up  a  position  in  the  rear  of  Mack  with- 
out resistance.  On  the  contrary,  at  various  places,  at 
Wertenghen,  Guntzburg,  Memingen,  and  Elchingen, 
severe  skirmishes  occurred  with  different  divisions  of 
the  Austrian  army,  in  all  of  which  the  French  had  the 
advantage.  General  Spangenburg  and  5000  men  laid 
down  their  arms  at  Memingen,  and,  in  all,  not  less  than 
20,000  prisoners  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French  be- 
tween the  2Hth  of  September,  when  they  crossed  the 
Rhine,  and  the  13th  of  October,  when  they  were,  in 
fact,  in  full  possession  of  Bavaria  and  Swabia,  holding 
Mack  cooped  up  behind  them  in  Ulm — as  Wurmser 
had  been  in  Mantua,  during  the  campaign  of  Alvinzi. 

But  Mack  was  no  Wurmser.  Napoleon's  recent 
movements  had  perplexed  utterly  the  councils  of  the 
Austrians.  whose  generals,  adopting  different  views  of 
the  state  of  the  campaign,  no  longer  acted  in  unison. 
Schwartzenberg  and  the  archduke  Ferdinand,  consid- 
ering further  resistance  in  Bavaria  as  hopeless,  cut 
their  way,  at  the  head  of  large  bodies  of  cavalry,  into 
Bohemia,  and  began  to  rouse  the  inhabitants  of  that 
kingdom  to  a  levy  en  masse.  The  French  emperor, 
perceiving  that  they  had  for  the  present  escaped  him, 
drew  back  upon  Ulm,  invested  that  town  on  every  side, 
and  summoned  Mack  to  surrender. 

The  garrison  consisted  of  full  20.000  good  troops ; 
the  place  was  amply  victualled  and  stored ;  the  ad- 
vance of  the  great  Russian  army  could  not  be  distant ; 
the  declaration  of  war  against  Napoleon  by  Berlin  was 
hourly  to  be  expected  :  and  the  armies  of  Austria, 
though  scattered  for  the  present,  would  be  sure  to  rally 
and  make  every  effort  for  the  relief  of  Ulm.  Un- 
der circumstances  comparatively  hopeless,  the  brave 
Wurmser  held  Mantua  to  extremity.  But  in  spite  of 
example  and  argument,  in  terror  or  in  treachery,  gen- 
eral Mack  capitulated  without  hazarding  a  blow. 

On  the  16th,  he  published  a  proclamation,  urging  his 
troops  to  prepare  for  the  utmost  pertinacity  of  defence, 


184  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1805 

and  forbidding  under  pain  of  death  the  word  surrender 
to  be  breathed  within  the  walls  of  Ulra.  On  the  17th,  he 
signed  articles,  by  which  hostilities  were  immediately 
to  cease,  and  he  and  all  his  men  to  surrender  them- 
selves prisoners  of  war,  within  ten  days,  unless  some 
Austrian  or  Russian  force  should  appear  in  the  inter- 
val, and  attempt  to  raise  the  blockade.  After  signing 
this  document,  Mack  visited,  in  person,  the  head- 
quarters of  Napoleon ;  and,  whatever  the  nature  of 
their  conversation  may  have  been,  the  result  was,  a 
revision  of  the  treaty  on  the  19th,  and  the  formal  evac- 
uation of  Ulm  on  the  20th.  Twenty  thousand  sol- 
diers filed  off.  and  laid  down  their  arms  before  Na- 
poleon and  his  staff.  Eighteen  generals  were  dismissed 
on  parole  ;  an  immense  quantity  of  ammunition  of  all 
sorts  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victor ;  and  a  wagon 
filled  with  Austrian  standards  was  sent  to  gratify  the 
vanity  of  the  Parisians. 

The  catastrophe  of  Ulm,  striking  new  terror  into  the 
Prussian  councils,  prevented  the  violation  of  the  terri- 
tory of  Anspach  from  being  immediately  followed  by 
the  declaration  of  war,  for  which  Bonaparte  must  have 
made  up  his  mind  when  he  hazarded  that  measure. 
Meantime,  success  had  attended  Massena  in  his  ad- 
vance from  Lombardy  towards  the  Venetian  states, 
where  the  archduke  Charles  commanded  an  army  of 
60,000  men  for  Austria.  The  archduke,  after  sustain- 
ing various  reverses,  was  forced  to  abandon  Italy; 
and  retreated,  though  slowly  and  leisurely,  before  Mas- 
sena, through  the  strong  passes  of  the  Carinthian  moun- 
tains. 

Nor  had  marshal  Ney,  whom  Napoleon  had  detach- 
ed from  his  own  main  army  with  orders  to  advance 
into  the  Tyrol,  been  less  successful  than  Massena.  The 
archduke  John,  who  commanded  iji  that  province,  was 
beaten  like  his  brother ;  and  the  outposts  of  the  army 
of  Massena  from  Italy,  and  that  of  Ney  from  the  Up- 
per Rhine,  at  length  met  and  saluted  in  triumph  at 
Clagenfurt.  The  archduke  Charles,  understanding  how 
Ney  was  prospering  in  the  Tyrol,  had  given  up  the  de- 
sign of  retreating  by  that  way  into  Germany,  and  pro- 


1805.]  VIENNA.  185 

ceeded  through  the  Carinthian  mountains  towards 
Hungary.  Prince  John  now  followed  his  brother's  ex- 
ample ;  and  the  remains  of  those  two  armies  thus  co- 
alescing in  a  distant  region,  the  divisions  of  Ney  and 
Massena  came,  in  fact,  to  be  at  the  immediate  disposal 
of  Napoleon,  who  was  now  concentrating  his  force  for 
the  purpose  of  attacking  Vienna. 

While  the  victorious  corps  of  Ney  thus  secilred  his 
right — Murat,  on  his  left,  watched  the  Austrians  who 
had  made  their  way  into  Bohemia;  and  Augereau, 
who  had  now  advanced  at  the  head  of  a  large  reserve 
from  France,  remained  behind  him  in  Swabia,  to  guard 
the  passes  from  the  Voralberg,  in  case  of  any  hostile 
movement  from  that  mountainous  province,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  be  ready  for  action  against  the  Prussians, 
should  that  army  at  length  receive  orders  to  take  part 
in  the  war,  and  cross  the  Danube.  Thus  guarded,  as 
he  judged,  against  any  chance  of  having  his  commu- 
nications intercepted  in  the  rear  or  flanks,  Napoleon  him- 
self, with  the  main  body,  now  moved  on -to  the  capital 
of  the  German  emperor.  Austrian  and  Russian  troops, 
to  the  number  of  45,000,  had  been  thrown  together 
with  the  view  of  relieving  Ulm,  and  advanced  consid- 
erably for  that  purpose  ere  they  heard  of  the  treacher- 
ous capitulation  of  Mack.  They  now  retired  again 
before  the  movement  of  Napoleon,  halting,  indeed,  oc- 
casionally, and  assuming  the  aspect  of  determination ; 
but,  whenever  the  outposts  met,  losing  heart,  and  con- 
tinuing their  progress  towards  Moravia  : — for  there,  at 
length,  the  czar,  with  his  principal  army,  had  made  his 
appearance ; — and  there,  around  that  standard,  every 
disposable  force  was  now  to  be  rallied.  The  emperor 
Francis  himself,  perceiving  that  Vienna  was  incapable 
of  defence,  quitted  his  capital  on  the  7th  of  Novem- 
ber, and  proceeded  to  Brunn,  in  Moravia,  the  head- 
quarters of  Alexander. 

On  the  same  evening  count  Giulay  reached  Napole- 
on's head -quarters  at  Lintz,  with  proposals  for  an  im- 
mediate armistice  and  negotiation.  Bonaparte  refused 
to  pause  unless  the  Tyrol  and  Venice  were  instantly 
ceded  to  him.  These  were  terms  to  which  the  Aus 


186  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1805. 

trian  envoy  had  no  authority  to  submit.  On  the  13th 
of  November,  accordingly,  the  French  entered  Vienna, 
and  Napoleon  took  up  his  residence  in  the  castle  of 
Sehoenbrun,  the  proud  palace  of  the  Austrian  Cassars 
General  Clarke  was  appointed  governor  of  the  city  ; 
and  the  elector  of  Bava'ria  was  gratified  with  a  large 
share  of  the  military  stores  and  equipments  found  in 
its  arsenals. 

It  was  at  Vienna  that  Napoleon  received  intelli- 
gence of  the  disastrous  battle  of  Trafalgar.  The  Eng- 
lish under  Nelson  had  triumphed  over  the  combined 
naval  force  of  France  and  Spain  and  the  loss  to  the 
French  was  equivalent  to  the  total  destruction  of  their 
fleet.  The  news,  though  afflictive  and  mortifying,  yet 
only  added  fuel  to  the  fire  of  Bonaparte's  energy.  His 
mighty  mind  rose  under  difficulties  and  gathered  new 
strength  from  every  fresh  obstacle,  that  was  laid  in  his 
way.  He  now  sternly  resolved  that  every  opposing 
force  should  be  made  to  tremble  before  him. 

He  quitted- Vienna,  and  put  himself  at  the  head  of 
his  columns,  which,  passing  the  Danube  into  Moravia, 
soon  found  themselves  within  reach  of  the  forces  of 
Russia  and  Austria,  at  length  combined  and  prepared 
for  action,, under  the  eyes  of  their  respective  emperors. 
These  princes,  on  the  approach  of  the  French,  drew 
back  as  far  as  Olmutz,  in  order  that  a  reserve  of  Rus- 
sians, under  Bexhowden,  might  join  them  before  the 
decisive  struggle  took  place.  Napoleon  fixed  his  head- 
quarters at  Brunn,  and,  riding  over  the  plain  between 
Brunn  and  Austerlitz  (a  village  about  two  miles  from 
that  town),  said  to  his  generals,  "Study  this  field — we 
shall,  ere  long,  have  to  contest  it." 

Bonaparte  has  been  much  criticized  by  strategists 
for  the  rashness  of  thus  passing  the  Danube  into  Mora- 
via, while  the  archduke  Ferdinand  was  organizing  the 
Bohemians  on  his  left,  the  archdukes  Charles  and  John 
in  Hungary,  with  still  formidable  and  daily  increasing 
forces  on  his  right,  the  population  of  Vienna  and  the 
surrounding  territories  ready  to  rise,  in  case  of  any 
disaster,  in  his  rear ;  and  Prussia  as  decidedly  hostile 
.n  heart  as  she  was  wavering  in  policy.  The  French 


1805.]  AUSTERLITZ.  187 

leader  did  not  disguise  from  himself  the  risk  of  his  ad- 
venture ;  but  he  considered  it  better  to  run  all  that 
risk,  than  to  linger  in  Vienna  until  the  armies  in  Hun- 
gary and  Bohemia  should  have  had  time  to  reinforce 
the  two  emperors. 

Napoleon's  preparations  were  as  follows  : — his  left, 
under  Lannes,  lay  at  Santon,  a  strongly  fortified  posi- 
tion :  Soult  commanded  the  right  wing :  the  centre, 
under  Bernadotte,  had  with  them  Murat  and  all  the 
cavalry.  Behind  the  line  lay  the  reserve,  consisting 
of  20,000,  10,000  of  whom  were  of  the  imperial  guard, 
under  Oudenot  ;  and  here  Napoleon  himself  took  his 
station.  But  besides  these  opea  demonstrations,  Da- 
voust,  with  a  division  of  horse  and  another  of  foot,  lay 
behind  the  convent  of  Raygern,  considerably  in  the 
rear  of  the  French  right — being  there  placed  by  the 
emperor,  in  consequence  of  a  false  movement,  into 
which  he,  with  a  seer-like  sagacity,  foresaw  the  ene- 
my might,  in  all  likelihood,  be  tempted  ;  and  to  which 
he  lured  them  on  accordingly  by  every  engine  of  his 
craft. 

Bonaparte,  on  learning  that  the  emperor  Alexander 
was  personally  in  the  hostile  camp,  sent  Savary  to  pre- 
sent his  compliments  to  that  sovereign  ;  but  really,  as 
we  may  suppose,  to  observe  as  much  as  he  could  of  the 
numbers  and  condition  of  the  troops.  Savary,  on  his 
return,  informed  his  master  that  the  Russian  prince 
was  surrounded  by  a  set  of  young  coxcombs,  whose 
every  look  and  gesture  expressed  overweening  confi- 
dence in  themselves  and  contempt  for  their  opponents. 
All  the  reverses  of  the  previous  campaign  were,  as  they 
took  care  to  signify,  the  result  of  unpardonable  cow- 
ardice among  the  Austrians,  whose  spirit  had  been 
quite  broken  by  the  wars  in  Italy :  but  they  were  the 
countrymen  of  the  same  Suwarrow  who  had  beaten 
the  French  out  of  all  Bonaparte's  Lombard  conquests, 
and  the  first  general  battle  would  show  what  sort  of 
enemies  the  Russians  were.  How  much  of  this  state- 
ment is  true  we  know  not :  it  was  openly  made  at  the 
time  in  one  of  Bonaparte's  bulletins — and,  what  is  of 
more  moment,  he  appears  to  have  acted  on  the  belief 


188  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1805. 

that  Savary  told  the  truth.  Having,  ere  he  received 
it,  advanced  several  leagues  beyond  the  chosen  field  of 
battle,  near  Austerlitz,  hie  forthwith  retreated  on  that 
position  with  a  studied  semblance  of  contusion.  The 
czar  sent  a  young  aid-de-camp  to  return  the  compli- 
ment carried  by  Savary  ;  and  this  messenger  found  the 
French  soldiery  actively  engaged  in  fortifying  their 
position — the  very  position  which  their  emperor  had, 
in  fact,  all  along  determined  to  occupy.  The  account 
of  what  the  young  Russian  saw  in  the  French  lines 
gave,  as  Napoleon  wished,  a  new  stimulus  to  the  pre- 
sumption of  his  enemy  ;  and,  having  made  the  prepa- 
rations above  described,  he  calmly  expected  the  con- 
sequences of  their  rashness  and  inexperience. 

On  the  1st  of  December  he  beheld  with  delight  the 
commencement  of  those  false  movements  which  he  had 
anticipated  and  desired.  On  seeing  the  Russians  be- 
gin to  descend  from  the  heights,  on  which  they  might 
have  lain  in  safety  until  the  archdukes  could  come  to 
swell  their  array  with  the  armies  from  Bohemia  and 
Hungary,  Napoleon  could  not  repress  his  rapturous 
joy  :  "  In  twenty-four  hours,"  said  he,  "  that  army  is 
mine." 

Shortly  afterward  there  arrived  count  Haugwitz,  an 
envoy  from  the  king  of  Prussia,  who,  being  introduced 
into  the  emperor's  presence,  signified  that  he  was  the 
bearer  of  an  important  communication.  "  Count,"  said 
Napoleon,  "  you  may  see  that  the  outposts  of  the  armies 
are  almost  meeting — there  will  be  a  battle  to-morrow 
— return  to  Vienna,  and  deliver  your  message  when  it 
is  over."  The  Prussian  envoy  did  not  require  two 
biddings.  Napoleon  had  all  this  year  been  protracting 
the  indecision  of  the  Prussian  counsels  by  holding  out 
the  delusive  hope,  that  were  Austria  effectually  hum- 
bled, the  imperial  crown  of  Germany  might  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  house  of  Brandenburg.  The  old  jealous- 
ies, thus  artfully  awakened,  had  been  sufficient  to  pre- 
vent a  declaration  of  war  from  immediately  following 
on  the  violation  of  the  territory  of  Anspach  and  Ba- 
reuth.  The  intervention  of  the  czar  had,  it  is  not  to 
be  doubted,  at  length  determined  the  court  of  Berlin 


1805.]  AUSTERLITZ.  189 

to  close  their  unworthy  neutrality  : — but  Haugwitz 
had  no  Prussian  army  in  his  train;  and,  seeing  what 
was  before  him,  he  certainly  did  prudently  to  defer, 
what  had  been  so  unwisely  as  well  as  ungenerously  put 
off  from  month  to  month,  for  one  day  more. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  Decem- 
ber, Napoleon,  having  slept  for  an  hour  by  a  watch- 
fire,  got  on  horseback,  and  proceeded  to  reconnoitre  the 
front  of  his  position.  He  wished  to  do  so  without  being 
recognized,  but  the  soldiery  penetrated  the  secret,  and, 
lighting  great  fires  of  straw  all  along  the  line,  received 
him  from  post  to  post  with  shouts  of  enthusiasm.  They 
reminded  him  that  this  was  the  anniversary  of  his  cor- 
onation, and  assured  him  they  would  celebrate  the  day 
in  a  manner  worthy  of  its  glory.  "  Only  promise  us/'* 
cried  an  old  grenadier,  "  that  you  will  keep  yourself 
out  of  the  fire."  "  I  will  do  so,"  answered  Napoleon, 
"  I  shall  be  with  the  reserve  until  you  need  us."  This 
pledge,  which  so  completely  ascertains  the  mutual  con- 
fidence of  the  leader  and  his  soldiers,  he  repeated  in  a 
proclamation  issued  at  daybreak.  The  sun  rose  with 
uncommon  brilliancy  :  on  many  an  after-day  the  French 
soldiery  hailed  a  similar  dawn  with  exultation  as  the 
sure  omen  of  victory,  and  "  the  sun  of  Austerlitz"  has 
passed  into  a  proverb. 

The  Russian  general-in-chief,  Kutusoff,  fell  into  the 
snare  laid  for  him,  and  sent  a  large  division  of  his  army 
to  turn  the  right  of  the  French.  The  troops  detached 
for  this  purpose  met  with  unexpected  resistance  from 
Davoust's  division,  and  were  held  in  check  at  Raygern. 
Napoleon  immediately  seized  the  opportunity.  They 
had  left  a  deep  gap  in  the  line,  and  upon  that  space 
Soult  forthwith  poured  a  force,  which  entirely  destroy- 
ed the  communication  between  the  Russian  centre  and 
left.  The  czar  perceived  the  fatal  consequences  of 
this  movement,  and  his  guards  rushed  to  beat  back 
Soult.  It  was  on  an  eminence,  called  the  hill  of  Pratzen, 
that  the  encounter  took  place.  The  Russians  drove 
the  French  infantry  before  them  :  Napoleon  ordered 
Bessieres  to  hurry  with  the  imperial  guard  to  their 
rescue.  The  Russians  were  in  some  disorder  from  the 


190  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1805. 

impatience  of  victory.  They  resisted  sternly,  but  were 
finally  broken,  and  fled.  The  grand  duke  Constantino, 
who  had  led  them  gallantly,  escaped  by  the  fleetness 
of  his  horse. 

The  French  centre  now  advanced,  and  the  charges 
of  its  cavalry  under  Murat  were  decisive.  The  em- 
perors of  Russia  and  Germany  beheld  from  the  heights 
of  Austerlitz  the  total  ruin  of  their  centre,  as  they  had 
already  of  their  left.  Their  right  wing  had  hitherto 
contested  well  against  all  the  impetuosity  of  Lannes  : 
but  Napoleon  could  now  gather  round  them  on  all  sides, 
and  his  artillery  plunging  incessant  fire  on  them  from 
the  heights,  they  at  length  found  it  impossible  to  hold 
their  ground.  They  were  forced  down  into  a  hollow, 
where  some  small  frozen  lakes  offered  the  only  means 
of  escape  from  the  closing  cannonade.  The  French 
broke  the  ice  about  them  by  a  storm  of  shot,  and  nearly 
20,000  men  died  on  the  spot,  some  swept  away  by  the 
artillery,  the  greater  part  drowned.  Bonaparte,  in  his 
bulletin,  compares  the  horrid  spectacle  of  this  ruin  to 
the  catastrophe  of  the  Turks  at  Aboukir,  when  "  the  sea 
was  covered  with  turbans/'  It  was  with  great  diffi- 
culty that  the  two  emperors  rallied  some  fragments  of 
their  armies  around  them,  and  effected  their  retreat. 
Twenty  thousand  prisoners,  forty  pieces  of  artillery, 
and  all  the  standards  of  the  imperial  guard  of  Russia, 
remained  with  the  conqueror.  Such  was  the  battle  of 
Austerlitz  ; — or  as  the  French  soldiery  delighted  to  call 
it,  "  the  battle  of  the  emperors." 

The  Prussian  envoy  now  returned,  and  presented 
to  Napoleon  his  master's  congratulations  on  the  victory 
thus  achieved.  The  emperor  whispered  to  Haugwitz, 
"  Here  is  a  message,  of  which  circumstances  have 
altered  the  address."  Prussia,  however,  had  150,000 
men  under  arms,  and  it  by  no  means  suited  Napoleon's 
views  to  provoke  her  to  extremities  at  this  moment. 
He  entered  into  a  treaty  with  Haugwitz ;  and  Prussia 
was  bribed  to  remain  quiescent,  by  a  temptation  which 
she  wanted  virtue  to  resist.  The  French  emperor 
offered  her  Hanover,  provided  she  would  oppose  no 
obstacle  to  any  other  arrangements  which  he  might  find 


1805.1    HP,.,    TREATY  OF  PRESBURG.  191 

Sj*". 

it  necessary  to  form :  and  the  house  of  Brandenburg 
did  not  blush  to  accept  at  his  hands  the  paternal  inher- 
itance of  the  royal  family  of  England. 

The  emperor  Francis,  understanding   how  Prussia 
was  disposed  of,  perceived  too  clearly  that  further  re 
sistance  was  hopeless ;  and  negotiations  immediately 
begun. 

The  haughty  emperor  of  Germany  repaired  to  the 
French  head-quarters.  He  was  received  at  the  door 
of  a  miserable  hut.  "  Such,"  said  Bonaparte,  "  are  the 
palaces  you  have  compelled  me  to  occupy  for  these 
two  months."  "  You  have  made  such  use  of  them/' 
answered  Francis,  "  that  you  ought  not  to  complain  of 
their  accommodation." 

The  humiliated  sovereign,  having  ere  this  obtained 
an  armistice  for  himself,  demanded  of  Napoleon  that 
the  czar  might  be  permitted  to  withdraw  in  safety  to 
his  own  states.  To  this  the  conqueror  assented :  and 
on  the  6th  of  December  the  Russians  commenced  their 
retreat. 

The  definitive  treaty  with  Francis  was  signed  at 
Presburg  on  the  15th  of  December,  and  another  with 
Prussia  on  the  26th,  at  Vienna ; — and  the  terms  of 
both,  arranged  on  Napoleon's  side  by  Talleyrand,  cor- 
responded to  the  signal  and  decisive  events  of  the  cam- 
paign. 

Austria  yielded  the  Venetian  territories  to  the  king- 
dom of  Italy  :  her  ancient  possessions  of  the  Tyrol  and 
Voralberg  were  transferred  to  Bavaria,  to  remunerate 
that  elector  for  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  war  ;  Wir- 
temberg,  having  also  adopted  the  French  side,  received 
recompense  of  the  same  kind  at  the  expense  of  the 
same  power  ;  and  both  of  these  electors  were  advanced 
to  the  dignity  of  kings.  Bavaria  received  Anspach 
and  Bareuth  from  Prussia,  and,  in  return,  ceded  Berg, 
which  was  erected  into  a  grand  duchy,  and  conferred, 
in  an  independent  sovereignty,  on  Napoleon's  brother- 
in-law,  Murat.  Finally,  Prussia  added  Hanover  to  her 
dominions,  in  return  for  the  cession  of  Anspach  and 
Bareuth,  and  acquiescence  in  the  other  arrangements 
above  mentioned. 


192  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1805 

Eugene  Beauharnais,  son  of  Josephine,  and  viceroy 
of  Italy,  received  in  marriage  the  eldest  daughter  of 
the  new  king  of  Bavaria  :  this  being  the  first  occasion 
on  which  Napoleon  manifested  openly  his  desire  to 
connect  his  family  with  the  old  sovereign  houses  of 
Europe.  It  was  announced  at  this  time,  that  in  case 
the  emperor  should  die  without  male  issue,  the  crown 
of  Italy  should  descend  to  Eugene. 

Other  events  of  the  same  character  now  crowded  on 
the  scene.  The  king,  or  rather  the  queen  of  Naples, 
had  not  failed,  during  the  recent  campaign,  to  mani- 
fest the  old  aversion  to  the  French  cause.  St.  Cyr's 
army,  which  on  the  first  rupture  of  the  peace  of  Amiens 
had  occupied  the  seaports  of  that  kingdom,  being  called 
into  the  north  of  Italy  to  reinforce  Massena  against  the 
archduke  Charles,  an  Anglo-Russian  expedition  soon 
landed  in  Naples,  and  were  welcomed  cordially  by  the 
court.  Napoleon,  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Aus- 
terlitz,  issued  a  proclamation,  declaring  that  "the  royal 
house  of  Naples  had  ceased  to  reign  forever."  On 
hearing  of  the  decisive  battle,  and  the  retreat  of  the 
czar,  the  English  and  Russians  evacuated  the  Neapoli- 
tan territories  on  the  mainland  of  Italy.  Joseph  Bona- 
parte conducted  a  French  army  towards  the  frontier ; 
the  court  passed  over  into  Sicily;  and  Joseph  was 
proclaimed  king  of  Naples. 

The  king  of  Sweden,  rushing  as  hastily  and  in- 
considerately as  he  of  Naples  into  the  war  of  1805, 
landed  with  a  small  army  in  Germany,  and  besieged 
Hamelen,  a  fortress  in  Hanover,  where  Bernadotte 
had  left  a  strong  garrison.  The  movement,  had  Prus- 
sia broken  her  neutrality,  might  have  been  of  high  im- 
portance to  the  general  cause;  as  events  turned  out,  it 
was  fruitless.  The  Swedes  raised  their  siege  in  confu- 
sion, on  receiving  the  news  of  Austerlitz  ;  and  Na- 
poleon from  that  hour  meditated  the  dethronement  of 
the  dynasty  of  Gustavus — but  this  object  was  not  yet 
within  reach. 

The  principalities  of  Lucca,  Massa-Carrara,  and 
Garfagnana  were  now  conferred  on  Napoleon's  sister, 
Eliza:  on  Pauline,  the  younger  sister,  who,  after  the 


1806.]  BATAVfA. — CONFEDERATION.  193 

death  of  general  Leclerc,  had  married  the  prince 
Borghese,  the  sovereignty  of  Guastalia  was  in  like 
manner  bestowed. 

The  Batavian  republic  had  for  years  been  in  effect 
enslaved  by  France.  On  pretence  that  her  leading 
men,  however,  still  yearned  after  the  alliance  of  Eng- 
land, and  thwarted  him  in  his  designs  on  the  commerce 
of  that  great  enemy,  Napoleon  now  resolve  to  take 
away  even  the  shadow  of  Dutch  independence.  The 
Batavian  senate  were  commanded  to  ask  Louis  Bona- 
parte for  their  king ;  and  these  republicans  submitted 
with  the  better  grace,  because  the  personal  character 
of  Louis  was  amiable  ;  and  since  Holland  must  be  an 
appendage  to  France,  it  seemed  probable  that  the  con- 
nection might  be  rendered  the  less  galling  in  many 
circumstances,  were  a  prince  of  Napoleon's  own  blood 
constituted  her  natural  guardian.  Louis  had  married 
the  beautiful  Hortense-Fanny  de  Beauharnais,  daugh- 
ter of  Josephine — so  that,  by  this  act,  two  members  of 
the  imperial  house  were  at  once  elevated  to  royalty. 
They  began  their  reign  at  the  Hague,  in  May,  1806. 

Another  great  consequence  of  Austerlitz  remains  to 
be  mentioned.  The  kings  of  Wirtemberg  and  Bavaria, 
the  grand  duke  of  Berg,  and  other  sovereigns  of  the 
west  of  Germany,  were  now  associated  together  in  a 
close  alliance,  under  the  style  of  the  Confederation  of 
the  Rhine :  Napoleon  added  to  his  other  titles  that  of 
Protector  of  this  confederacy  ;  and  the  princes  of  the 
league  were  bound  to  place  60,000  soldiers  at  his  com- 
mand. This  measure  announced,  in  effect,  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  Germanic  empire,  whose  fairest  provinces 
were  thus  transformed  into  so  many  departments  of 
the  all-engrossing  monarchy  of  Bonaparte. 

Finally,  it  was  on  his  return  from  the  triumph  of 
Austerlitz,  that  Napoleon  trampled  down  the  last  traces 
of  the  revolutionary  organization  in  France,  by  cre- 
ating a  new  order  of  nobility.  Talleyrand  became 
prince  of  Beneventum,  Bernadotte  of  Ponte  Corvo, 
Berthier  of  Neufchatel ;  the  most  distinguished  of  the 
marshals  received  the  title  of  duke,  and  a  long  array  of 
counts  of  the  empire  filled  the  lower  steps  of  the  throne. 


194  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1806. 

These  princedoms  and  dukedoms  were  accompanied 
with  grants  of  extensive  estates  in  the  countries  which 
the  French  armies  had  conquered ;  and  the  great  feu- 
datories of  the  new  empire  accordingly  bore  titles,  not 
domestic,  but  foreign.  In  everything  it  was  the  plan  of 
Napoleon  to  sink  the  memory  of  the  Bourbon  monar 
chy,  and  revive  the  image  of  Charlemagne,  emperor  of 
the  West. 

These  events  resulting  from  the  battle  of  Austerlitz, 
spread  still  farther  the  terror  of  the  conqueror  and 
added  immeasurably  to  his  power.  By  the  establishment 
of  the  confederation  of  the  Rhine,  he  became,  in  effect, 
sovereign  of  a  large  part  of  Germany.  The  states 
composing  the  union  were  bound  to  place  60,000  troops 
at  the  command  of  their  protector ;  and  these  arrange- 
ments seemed  to  have  so  totally  revolutionized  Ger- 
many, that  Francis  of  Austria  declared  the  imperial 
constitution  at  an  end.  He  retained  the  title  of  em- 
peror as  sovereign  of  his  own  hereditary  dominions  ; 
but  "  The  Holy  Roman  Empire,"  having  lasted  full 
one  thousand  years,  was  declared  to  be  no  more ;  and 
of  its  ancient  influence  the  representative  was  to  be 
sought  for,  not  at  Vienna,  but  at  Paris. 

The  vacillating  court  of  Berlin  heard  with  much  ap- 
prehension of  the  formation  of  the  Rhenish  confedera- 
cy ;*  and  with  deep  resentment  of  its  immediate  con- 
sequence, the  dissolution  of  the  Germanic  empire.  The 
house  of  Brandenburg  had  consented  to  the  humilia- 
tion of  Francis  in  the  hope  of  succeeding,  at  the  next 
election,  to  the  imperial  crown,  so  long  worn  by  the 
house  of  Austria :  and  now,  not  only  was  that  long- 
cherished  hope  forever  dispelled,  but  it  appeared  that 
Napoleon  had  laid  the  foundation  of  a  new  system,  un- 
der which  the  influence  of  the  house  of  Brandenburg 
must,  in  all  probability,  be  overruled  far  more  effectu- 
ally than  it  ever  had  been,  of  recent  times,  by  the  im- 
perial perogative  of  Austria. 

The  only  method  of  counteracting  the  consolidation 
of  French  power  all  over  Germany,  seemed  to  be  that 
of  creating  another  confederacy  in  the  northern  cir- 

*  Published  July  27th,  1806. 


1806.]  DISCONTENT    OF    PRUSSIA MR.    FOX.  195 

cles,  capable  of  balancing  the  league  of  the  Rhine. 
The  elector  of  Saxony,  however,  perceived  that  Napo- 
leon was  not  likely  to  acquiesce  in  the  realization  of 
this  scheme  ;  and  his  minister  at  Berlin  continued  to 
decline  acceding  to  the  northern  alliance.  The  prince 
of  Hesse  Cassel  took  a  similar  view  of  the  case  ;  but 
acted  with  a  degree  of  vacillation  worthy  of  the  late 
conduct  of  Prussia  herself,  refusing  on  the  one  hand  to 
embrace  the  confederation  proposed  by  the  cabinet  of 
Berlin,  and  yet  declining,  on  the  other,  to  form  part  of 
the  Rhenish  league,  to  which  effect  Bonaparte  had  fre- 
quently and  urgently  invited  this  elector.  In  the  re- 
luctance, however,  of  these  princes,  Prussia  saw  noth- 
ing but  the  determination  of  Napoleon  to  suppress,  in 
the  beginning,  any  such  confederation  of  the  northern 
German  states  as  had  been  contemplated  ;  and  irri- 
iat5on  and  jealousy  from  day  to  day  increased. 

The  relations  of  France  and  Prussia  continued  in 
this  dubious  state,  until  the  cabinet  of  Berlin  learned 
some  particulars  of  a  negotiation  between  Napoleon 
and  the  English  government,  which  took  place  in  the 
summer  of  1806. 

Mr.  Pitt,  who  despaired  of  opposing  Bonaparte  on 
the  continent  after  Marengo,  did  not  long  survive  the 
disastrous  intelligence  of  Austerlitz.  Worn  out  and 
broken  by  the  endless  anxieties  of  his  situation,  not 
even  the  glorious  tidings  of  Trafalgar  could  revive  the 
sinking  spirit  of  this  great  minister.  He  died  on  the 
23d  of  January,  1806,  and  was  succeeded  in  the 
government  by  Mr.  Fox,  the  same  statesman  who  had, 
throughout  every  variety  of  fortune,  arraigned  his  con- 
duct of  the  war  as  imbecile  and  absurd,  and  who  had 
all  along  professed  his  belief  that  in  the  original  quar- 
rel between  Great  Britain  and  revolutionized  France, 
the  blame  lay  with  his  own  country,  and,  above  all, 
with  Mr.  Pitt. 

The  personal  intercourse  which  took  place  between 
Mr.  Fox  and  Napoleon,  during  the  peace  of  Amiens, 
has  already  been  alluded  to.  It  was  calculated  to 
make  all  men  regard  the  chances  of  a  solid  peace  be- 
tween France  and  England  as  increased  by  the  event 


196  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [18GS. 

which  transferred  the  reins  of  government,  in  the  lat- 
ter country,  into  the  hands  of  the  illustrious  opponent 
of  Mr.  Pitt. 

But  the  peculiar  feelings  of  English  politicians  have 
seldom  been  understood  by  foreigners — and  were  mis- 
understood by  Bonaparte.  When  Fox  visited  him,  as 
first  consul,  at  the  Tuileries,  he  complained  that  the 
English  government  countenanced  the  assassins  who 
were  plotting  against  his  life.  Mr.  Fox,  forgetting 
all  his  party  prejudice  when  the  honor  of  his  country 
was  assailed,  answered  in  terms  such  as  Napoleon's 
own  military  bluntness  could  not  have  surpassed — • 
"Clear  your  head  of  that  nonsense."  And  now,  in 
like  manner,  Mr.  Fox,  once  placed  in  the  responsible 
management  of  his  country's  interests,  was  found,  not 
a  little  to  the  surprise  and  disappointment  of  Napoleon, 
about  as  close  and  watchful  a  negotiator  as  he  could 
have  had  to  deal  with  in  Mr.  Pitt  himself.  The  Eng- 
lish minister  employed  on  this  occasion,  first,  lord  Yar- 
mouth, one  of  the  detenus  of  1803,  and  afterward  lord 
Lauderdale.  For  some  time  strong  hopes  of  a  satis- 
factory conclusion  were  entertained  ;  but,  in  the  end, 
the  negotiation  wholly  broke  up,  on  the  absolute  refu- 
sal of  Napoleon  to  concede  Malta  to  England,  unless 
England  would  permit  him  to  conquer  Sicily  from  the 
unfortunate  sovereign  whose  Italian  kingdom  had  al- 
ready been  transferred  to  Joseph  Bonaparte.  Mr.  Fox 
was  lost  to  his  country  in  September,  1806  ;  and  Na- 
poleon ever  afterward  maintained,  that  had  that  great 
statesman  lived,  the  negotiation  would  have  been  re- 
sumed and  pushed  to  a  successful  close.  Meantime, 
however,  the  diplomatic  intercourse  of  the  Tuileries 
and  St.  James's  was  at  an  end,  and  the  course  which 
the  negotiation  had  taken  transpired  necessarily  in 
parliament. 

It  then  came  out  that  the  article  of  Hanover  had 
not  formed  one  of  the  chief  difficulties;  in  a  word,  Na- 
poleon had  signified  that,  although  the  electorate  had 
been  ceded  by  him  to  Prussia  under  the  treaty  of 
Vienna,  at  the  close  of  1805,  Prussia  yielding  to  him 
in  return  the  principalities  of  Anspach,  Bareuth,  and 


1806.]  MURDER  OF  PALM.  197 

Neufchatel,  still,  if  the  English  government  would 
agree  to  abandon  Sicily,  he,  on  his  part,  would  offer  no 
opposition  to  the  resumption  of  Hanover  by  its  right- 
ful sovereign.  George  III.  This  treachery  being  as- 
certained at  Berlin,  the  ill-smothered  rage  of  the  Prus- 
sian court  and  nation  at  length  burst  into  a  flame. 
The  beautiful  queen  of  Prussia,  and  prince  Louis, 
brother  to  the  king,  two  characters  whose  high  and 
romantic  qualities  rendered  them  the  delight  and  pride 
of  the  nation,  were  foremost  to  nourish  and  kindle  the 
popular  indignation.  The  young  nobility  and  gentry 
rose  in  tumult,  broke  the  windows  of  the  ministers  who 
were  supposed  to  lean  to  the  French  interest,  and 
openly  whetted  their  sabres  on  the  threshold-stone  of 
Napoleon's  ambassador.  The  lovely  queen  appeared 
in  the  uniform  of  the  regiment  which  bore  her  name, 
and  rode  at  its  head.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  people 
thus  roused  might  be  directed,  but  could  hardly  be  re- 
pressed. 

Nor  was  it  in  Prussia  alone  that  such  sentiments 
prevailed.  Split  as  Germany  has  for  ages  been  into 
many  independent  states,  there  has  always,  neverthe- 
less, been  felt  and  acknowledged,  a  certain  national 
unity  of  heart  as  well  as  head  among  all  that  speak  the 
German  language  :  the  dissolution  of  the  empire  was 
felt  all  over  Germany  as  a  common  wrong  and  injury : 
Napoleon's  treatment  of  Prussia  was  resented  as  indic- 
ative of  his  resolution  to  reduce  that  power  also  (the 
only  German  power  now  capable  of  opposing  any  re- 
sistance to  French  aggression)  to  a  pitch  of  humilia- 
tion as  low  as  that  in  which  Austria  was  already  sunk  ; 
and,  lastly,  another  atrocious  deed  of  the  French  em- 
peror— a  deed  as  darkly  unpardonable  as  the  murder  of 
d'Enghien — was  perpetrated  at  this  very  crisis,  and 
arrayed  against  him,  throughout  all  Germany,  every 
feeling,  moral  and  political,  which  could  be  touched 
either  by  the  crimes  or  the  contumelies  of  a  foreign 
tyrant. 

Palm,  a  bookseller  of  the  free  city  of  Naurnburg, 
having  published  a  pamphlet  in  which  the  ambition  01 
Napoleon  was  arraigned,  a  party  of  French  gens  d'armes 


198  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1806. 

passed  the  frontier,  and  seized  the  unsuspecting  citizen, 
exactly  as  the  duke  d'Einghien  had  been  arrested  at 
Ettenheim.  the  year  before.  The  bookseller  was  tried 
for  a  libel  against  Napoleon,  at  Braunau,  before  a 
French  court-martial  ;  found  guilty,  condemned  to 
death,  and  shot  immediately,  in  pursuance  of  his  sen- 
tence. It  is  needless  to  dwell  upon  this  outrage  :  the 
death  of  d'Enghien  has  found  advocates  or  palliators — 
this  mean  murder  of  an  humble  tradesman,  who  neither 
was  nor  ever  had  been  a  subject  either  of  France  or 
Bonaparte,  has  been  less  fortunate. 

The  emperor  of  Russia  once  more  visited  Berlin, 
when  the  feelings  of  Prussia,  and  indeed  of  all  the 
neighboring  states,  were  in  this  fever  of  excitement. 
He  again  urged  the  king  of  Prussia  to  take  up  arms  in 
the  common  cause,  and  offered  to  back  him  with  all 
the  forces  of  his  own  great  empire.  The  English  gov- 
ernment, taking  advantage  of  the  same  crisis,  sent  lord 
Morpeth  to  Berlin,  with  offers  of  pecuniary  supplies — 
about  the  acceptance  of  which,  however,  *the  anxiety 
of  Prussia  on  the  subject  of  Hanover  created  some 
difficulty.  Lastly,  Bonaparte,  well  informed  of  what 
was  passing  in  Berlin,  and  desirous,  since  war  must  be, 
to  hurry  Prussia  into  the  field  ere  the  armies  of  the 
czar  could  be  joined  with  hers,  now  poured  out  in  the 
Moniteur  such  abuse  on  the  persons  and  characters  of 
the  queen,  prince  Louis,  and  every  illustrious  patriot 
throughout  Prussia,  that  the  general  wrath  could  no 
longer  be  held  in  check.  Warlike  preparations  of 
every  kind  filled  the  kingdom  during  August  and  Sep- 
tember. On  the  first  of  October  the  Prussian  minister 
at  Paris  presented  a  note  to  Talleyrand,  demanding, 
among  other  things,  that  the  formation  of  a  confederacy 
in  the  north  of  Germany  should  no  longer  be  thwarted 
by  French  interference,  and  that  the  French  troops 
within  the  territories  of  the  Rhenish  league  should  re- 
cross  the  Rhine  into  France,  by  the  8th  of  the  same 
month  of  October. 

But  Napoleon  was  already  in  person  on  the  German 
side  of  the  Rhine,  and  his  answer  to  the  Prussian  note 
was  a  general  order  to  his  own  troops,  in  which  he 


1806.]  BATTLE  OP  SAALFIELD.  199 

called  on  them  to  observe  in  what  manner  a  German 
sovereign  still  dared  to  insult  the  soldiers  of  Austerlitz. 

The  conduct  of  Prussia,  in  thus  rushing  into  hostili- 
ties without  waiting  for  the  advance  of  the  Russians, 
was  as  rash  as  her  holding  back  from  Austria,  during 
the  campaign  of  Austerlitz,  had  been  cowardly.  As  if 
determined  to  profit  by  no  lesson,  the  Prussian  council 
also  directed  their  army  to  advance  towards  the  French, 
instead  of  lying  on  their  own  frontier — a  repetition  of 
the  great  leading  blunder  of  the  Austrians  in  the  pre- 
ceding year.  The  Prussian  army  accordingly  invaded 
the  Saxon  provinces,  and  the  elector  of  Saxony,  seeing 
his  country  treated  as  rudely  as  that  of  the  elector  of 
Bavaria  had  been  on  a  similar  occasion  by  the  Aus- 
trians, and  wanting  the  means  to  withdraw  his  own 
troops  as  the  Bavarian  had  succeeded  in  doing  under 
like  provocation,  was  compelled  to  accept  the  alliance 
which  Prussia  urged  on  him,  and  to  join  his  troops  with 
those  of  the  power  by  which  he  had  been  thus  insulted 
and  wronged. 

No  sooner  did  Napoleon  know  that  the  Prussians 
had  advanced  into  the  heart  of  Saxony  than  he  formed 
the  plan  of  his  campaign  :  and  they,  persisting  in  their 
advance,  and  taking  up  their  position  finally  on  the 
Saale,  afforded  him,  as  if  studiously,  the  means  of  re- 
peating, at  their  expense,  the  very  manoeuvres  which 
had  ruined  the  Austrians  in  the  preceding  campaign. 

In  a  word,  Bonaparte  perceived  that  the  Prussian 
army  was  extended  upon  too  wide  a  line,  and  the  con- 
sequent possibility  of  overpowering  it  in  detail.  He 
further  discovered  that  the  enemy  had  all  his  principal 
stores  and  magazines  at  Naumburg,  to  the  rearward, 
not  of  his  centre,  but  of  his  extreme  right ;  and  resolved 
to  commence  operations  by  an  attempt  to  turn-  the 
flank,  and  seize  those  magazines,  ere  the  main  body  of 
the  Prussians,  lying  at  Weimar,  could  be  aware  of  his 
movement.  The  French  army  came  forward  in  three 
great  divisions  :  the  corps  of  Soult  and  Ney  in  the 
direction  of  Hof;  Murat,  Bernadotte,  and  Davoust 
towards  Saalburgh  and  Schleitz ;  and  Lannes  and 
Augereau  upon  Coburgh  and  Saalfield.  These  last 


200  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1806 

generals  were  opposed  sternly,  at  Saalfield,  by  the  corps 
of  prince  Louis  of  Prussia.  This  brave  young  officer 
imprudently  abandoned  the  bridge  over  the  Saal,  which 
he  might  have  defended  with  success,  and  came  out 
into  the  open  plain,  where  his  troops  were  overpowered 
by  the  French  impetuosity.  He  himself,  fighting  hand 
to  hand  with  a  subaltern,  was  desired  to  surrender,  and 
replying  by  a  sabre  cut,  was  immediately  struck  down 
with  a  mortal  thrust.  The  Prussians  fled  ;  the  bridge, 
which  ought  to  have  defended,  gave  the  French  access 
to  the  country  behind  the  Saal :  in  a  word,  the  flank 
of  the  Prussian  position  was  turned  ;  the  French  army 
passed  entirely  round  them;  Napoleon  seized  Naum- 
burg,  and  blew  up  the  magazines  there, — announcing, 
for  the  first  time,  by  this  explosion,  to  the  king  of 
Prussia,  that  he  was  in  his  rear. 

From  this  moment  the  king  was  in  fact  isolated,  and 
cut  off  from  all  his  resources,  as  completely  as  the  army 
of  Mack  was  at  Ulm,  when  the  French  had  passed  the 
Danube  and  overrun  Swabia.  The  duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, who  commanded  the  Prussian  army,  had  now  to 
concentrate  his  forces  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  his 
way  back  again  to  the  frontier  which  he  had  so  rashly 
abandoned.  Napoleon,  meantime,  posted  his  divisions 
so  as  to  watch  all  the  chief  passages  of  the  Saal,  and 
expected,  in  confidence,  the  assault  of  his  outwitted 
opponent.  It  was  now  that  he  found  leisure  to  answer 
the  manifesto  of  the  king  of  Prussia,  which  had  reached 
Paris  a  day  or  two  after  he  himself  quitted  that  capital 
for  the  camp.  His  letter,  dated  at  Gera,  is  written  in 
the  most  elaborate  style  of  insult.  The  king  of  Prussia, 
said  he,  had  sent  him  a  silly -pamphlet  of  twenty  pages, 
in  very  bad  French — such  a  pamphlet  as  the  English 
ministry  were  in  the  habit  of  commanding  their  hire- 
ling scribblers  to  put  forth — but  he  acquitted  the  king 
of  having  read  this  performance.  He  was  extremely 
anxious  to  live  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  his 
"  good  brother,"  and  begged  him,  as  the  first  token  of 
equal  good-will,  to  dismiss  the  counsellors  who  had 
hurried  him  into  the  present  unjust  and  unequal  war. 
Such  was  the  language  of  this  famous  note.  Napoleow, 


1806.]  BATTLE    OF    JENA.  201 

already  sure  of  his  prey,  desired  his  own  generals  to 
observe  how  accurately  he  had  already  complied  with 
one  of  the  requests  of  the  Prussian  manifesto. — "  The 
French  army,"  said  he,  "  has  done  as  it  was  bidden. 
This  is  the  8th  of  October,  and  we  have  evacuated  the 
territories  of  the  confederation  of  the  Rhine." 

The  Prussian  king  understood  well,  on  learning  the 
fall  of  Naumburg,  the  imminent  danger  of  his  position  ; 
and  his  army  was  forthwith  set  in  motion,  in  two  great 
masses  ;  the  former,  where  he  was  in  person  present, 
advancing  towards  Naumburg  ;  the  latter  attempting, 
in  like  manner,  to  force  their  passage  through  the 
French  line  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jena.  The  king 
of  Prussia's  march  was  arrested  at  Auerstadt  by  Da- 
voust,  who,  after  a  severely  contested  action,  at  length 
repelled  the  assailants.  Napoleon  himself,  meanwhile, 
was  engaged  with  the  other  great  body  of  the  Prussians 
under  general  Mollendorf.  Arriving  on  the  evening 
of  the  13th  October  at  Jena,  he  perceived  that  the 
enemy  were  ready  to  attempt  the  advance  next  morn- 
ing, while  his  own  heavy  train  were  still  six-and-thirty 
hours'  march  in  his  rear.  Not  discouraged  with  this 
adverse  circumstance,  the  emperor  labored  all  night  in 
directing  and  encouraging  his  soldiery  to  cut  a  road 
through  the  rocks,  and  draw  up  by  that  means  such 
light  guns  as  he  had  at  command  to  a  position,  on  a 
lotty  plateau  in  front  of  Jena,  where  no  man  could 
have  expected  beforehand  that  any  artillery  whatever 
should  be  planted,  and  where,  accordingly,  the  effect 
even  of  a  small  park  proved  more  decisive  than  that 
of  a  much  larger  one  might  have  been  under  other  cir- 
cumstances. JBonaparte  spent  all  the  night  among  the 
men,  offering  large  sums  of  gold  for  every  piece  that 
should  be  dragged  to  the  position,  and  continually  re- 
minding his  followers  that  the  Prussians  were  about  to 
fight,  not  for  honor,  but  for  safety, — that  they  were 
already  isolated  as  completely  as  Mack's  army  had  been 
at  Ulm,  and  on  stern  resistance  must  needs  submit  to 
the  fate  of  the  Austrians.  Lannes  commanded  the 
centre;  Augereau  the  right;  Soult the  left ;  andMurat 
the  reserve  and  cavalry. 


202  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1806 

Soult  had  to  sustain  the  first  assault  of  the  Prussians, 
which  was  violent  and  sudden  ;  for  the  mist  lay  so  thick 
on  the  field  that  the  armies  were  within  half  gunshot 
of  each  other  ere  the  sun  and  wind  rose  and  discovered 
them  ;  and  on  that  instant  Mollendorf  charged.  The 
battle  was  contested  well  for  some  time  on  this  point ; 
but  at  length  Ney  appeared  in  the  rear  of  the  emperor 
with  a  fresh  division  ;  and  then  the  French  centre  ad- 
vanced to  a  general  charge,  before  which  the  Prussians 
were  forced  to  retire.  They  moved  for  some  space  in 
good  order;  but  Murat  now  poured  his  masses  of  cav- 
alry on  them,  storm  after  storm,  with  such  rapidity 
and  vehemence  that  their  rout  became  miserable.  It 
ended  in  the  complete  breaking  up  of  the  army — horse 
and  foot  all  flying  together,  in  the  confusion  of  panic, 
upon  the  road  to  Weimar.  At  that  point  the  fugitives 
met  and  mingled  with  their  brethren  flying,  as  confu- 
sedly as  themselves,  from  Auerstadt.  In  the  course  of 
this  disastrous  day,  20,000  Prussians  were  killed  or 
taken  ;  300  guns,  twenty  generals,  and  sixty  standards. 
The  commander-in-chief,  the  duke  of  Brunswick,  being 
wounded  in  the  face  with  a  grape-shot,  was  carried  early 
off  the  field,  never  to  recover.  The  loss  of  superior  offi- 
cers on  the  Prussian  side  was  so  great,  that  of  an  army 
which,  on  the  evening  of  the  13th  of  October,  mustered 
not  less  than  150,000,  but  a  few  regiments  were  ever 
able  to  act  in  concert  for  some  time  after  the  14th. 
The  various  routed  divisions  roamed  about  the  country, 
seeking  separately  the  means  of  escape;  they  were  in 
consequence  destined  to  fall  an  easy  prey.  Mollendorf 
and  the  prince  of  Orange-Fulda  laid  down  their  arms 
at  Erfurt.  General  Kalkreuth's  corps  was  overtaken 
and  surrounded  among  the  Hartz  mountains  :  prince 
Eugene  of  Wirtemburg  and  16,000  men,  surrendered 
to  Bernadotte  at  Halle.  The  prince  of  Hohenlohe  at 
length  drew  together  not  less  than  50,000  of  these  wan- 
dering soldiers,  and  threw  himself  at  their  head,  into 
Magdeburg.  But  it  turned  out  that  that  great  fortress 
had  been  stripped  of  all  its  stores  for  the  service  of  the 
duke  of  Brunswick's  army  before  Jena.  Hohenlohe, 
therefore,  was  compelled  to  retreat  towards  the  Oder 


»806.]  PRUSSIA    CONQUERED.  203 

He  was  defeated  in  a  variety  of  skirmishes ;  and  at 
length,  finding  himself  devoid  of  ammunition  or  provis- 
ions, laid  down  his  arms  at  Prenzlow  ;  20,000  surren- 
dered with  the  prince.  His  rear,  consisting  of  about 
10,000,  under  the  command  of  the  celebrated  general 
Blucher,  were  so  far  behind  as  to  render  it  possible  for 
them  to  attempt  escape.  Their  heroic  leader  traversed 
the  country  with  them  for  some  time  unbroken,  and 
sustained  a  variety  of  assaults,  from  far  superior  num- 
bers, with  the  most  obstinate  resolution.  By  degrees, 
however,  the  French,  under  Soult,  hemmed  him  in  on 
one  side,  Murat  on  the  other,  and  Bernadotte  appeared 
close  behind  him.  He  was  thus  forced  to  throw  him- 
self into  Lubeck,  where  a  severe  action  was  fought  in 
the  streets  of  the  town,  on  the  6th  of  November.  The 
Prussian,  in  this  battle,  lost  4,000  prisoners,  besides  the 
slain  and  wounded  :  he  retreated  to  Schwerta,  and 
there,  it  being  impossible  for  him  to  go  farther  without 
violating  the  neutrality  of  Denmark,  on  the  morning  of 
the  7th,  Blucher  at  length  laid  down  his  arms — having 
exhibited  a  specimen  of  conduct  and  valor  such  as  cer- 
tainly had  not  been  displayed  by  any  of  his  superiors  in 
the  campaign. 

The  strong  fortresses  of  the  Prussian  monarchy  made 
as  ineffectual  resistance  as  the  armies  in  the  field.  In 
how  far  the  charge  of  actual  treachery  brought  then, 
and  still  continued,  against  the  commanders  of  those 
places,  be  just,  we  know  not ;  but  the  fact  is  certain, 
that  the  governors  of  Spandau,  Stettin,  Custrin,  Ham- 
elen,  and  Magdeburg  itself,  yielded  successively  to  the 
French  generals,  under  circumstances  which  roused 
the  indignant  suspicion  of  the  Prussian  people,  as  well 
as  the  soldiery  and  their  unfortunate  king.  Bonaparte, 
in  person,  entered  Berlin  on  the  25th  of  October :  and 
before  the  end  of  November,  except  Konigsberg, — 
where  the  king  himself  had  found  refuge,  and  gathered 
round  him  a  few  thousand  troops,  the  sad  relics  of  an 
army  which  had  been  considered  as  not  unable  to  with- 
stand the  whole  power  of  France, — and  a  few  less  im- 
portant fortresses,  the  whole  of  the  German  possessions 
of  the  house  of  Brandenburg  were  in  the  hands  of  the 


204  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1806. 

conqueror.  Louis  Bonaparte,  king  of  Holland,  mean- 
while,  had  advanced  into  Westphalia,  and  occupied  that 
territory  also,  with  great  part  of  Hanover,  East  Fries- 
land,  Embden,  and  the  dominions  of  Hesse  Cassel. 

Thus  in  the  course  of  a  few  short  weeks,  was  the 
proud  and  vigorous  fabric  of  the  Prussian  monarchy 
levelled  with  the  ground.  The  government  being  of  a 
strictly  military  character,  when  the  army,  the  pride 
and  strength  of  the  nation,  disappeared,  every  bond  of 
union  among  the  various  provinces  of  the  crown  seem- 
ed to  be  at  once  dissolved.  To  account  for  the  unex- 
ampled rapidity  of  such  a  downfall,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, first,  that  the  Prussian  states,  many  of  them  the 
fruits  of  recent  military  conquest,  were  held  together 
by  little  but  the  name  of  the  great  Frederick,  and  the 
terror  of  the  highly  disciplined  force  which  he  had  be- 
queathed to  his  successors ;  that,  in  a  word,  they  had 
not  yet  had  time  to  be  blended  and  melted  thoroughly 
into  a  national  whole :  secondly,  that  Prussia  had  rush- 
ed into  this  war,  not  only  with  imprudent  rashness,  but 
with  the  stain  of  dishonor  upon  her  hands.  The  ac- 
ceptance of  Hanover  as  a  bribe  from  the  French  despot, 
and  the  hard  and  brazen  reluctance  to  part  with  that 
ill-gotten  spoil,  even  when  the  preservation  of  peace 
with  France  seemed  hopeless — these  circumstances,  to- 
gether with  the  mean  desertion  of  Austria  during  the 
preceding  campaign  of  Austerlitz — had,  in  effect,  in- 
jured the  government  deeply  and  degradingly  in  the 
opinion  of  its  own  subjects,  as  well  as  of  other  nations ; 
but,  thirdly,  the  imbecile  conduct  of  the. chief  Prussian 
officers,  in  the  campaign  of  Jena,  was  as  little  likely  to 
have  been  foreseen  or  expected  as  the  pusillanimous,  if 
not  treacherous  baseness  of  those  who,  after  the  army 
was  defeated,  abandoned  so  easily  a  chain  of  the  best 
fortresses  in  Europe. 

The  personal  character  of  king  Frederick  William 
was  never  calumniated,  even  when  the  measures  of  his 
government  were  most  generally  and  most  justly  ex- 
posed to  suspicion  and  scorn.  On  the  contrary,  the 
misfortunes  of  this  virtuous  sovereign  and  his  family 
were  heard  of  with  unmixed  regret  and  compassion. 


1806.J  IN    BERLIN.  205 

While  Napoleon  was  at  Berlin,  and  before  he  had 
been  long  there,  an  incident  occurred  which  should  be 
related  to  his  honor.  The  prince  of  Hatzfeld  continu- 
ing to  reside  in  Berlin,  under  Napoleon's  protection, 
corresponded,  nevertheless,  with  Hohenlohe,  then  in 
the  field,  and  sent  information  of  the  state  and  move- 
ments of  the  French  army.  One  of  his  letters  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  French — the  prince  was  arrested — 
his  wife  gained  access  to  the  emperor,  and  ignorant  of 
her  husband's  conduct,  spoke  with  the  boldnesss  of  in- 
nocence in  his  favor.  Napoleon  handed  to  her  the 
prince's  letter,  and  confounded  with  the  clearness  of 
that  evidence,  she  fell  on  her  knees  in  silence.  "  Put 
the  paper  in  the  fire,  madam/'  said  Napoleon,  and 
there  will  then  be  no  proof." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  DECREES  OF  BERLIN — NAPOLEON  RENEWS  THE  CAMPAIGN — "War- 
saw taken — Battle  of  Pultusk — Bennigsen — Battle  of  Preuss  Eylau 
— Taking  of  Dantzic — Battle  of  Friedland — Armistice — Conferen- 
ces of  Pilsit — Peace — Coalition,  against  England— Internal  Affairs 
of  France — The  Administration  of  Napoleon — His  Labors — The 
Court — Relations  with  Spain  and  Portugal — Intrigues  of  the  Span- 
ish Court — Murat  at  Madrid — Charles  and  Ferdinand  abdicate 
at  Bayonne — Insurrection  of  the  Spaniards  against  the  French — 
Napoleon  visits  Spain — Reverses  followed  by  Success — A.  D.  1806 
—1808. 

NAPOLEON  had  achieved  the  total  humiliation  of  the 
Prussian  monarchy  in  a  campaign  of  a  week's  dura- 
tion :  yet  severe  as  the  exertions  of  his  army  had  been, 
and  splendid  his  success,  and  late  as  the  season  was 
now  advanced,  there  ensued  no  pause  of  inaction  :  the 
emperor  himself  remained  but  a  few  days  in  Berlin. 

This  brief  residence,  however,  was  distinguished  by 
the  issue  of  the  famous  decrees  of  Berlin  :  those  extra- 
ordinary edicts  by  which  Bonaparte  hoped  to  sap  the 
foundations  of  the  power  of  England — the  one  power 
which  he  had  no  means  of  assailing  by  his  apparently 
irresistible  arms. 

Napoleon  declared  the  British  islands  to  be  in  a  state 
pf  blockade  :  any  intercourse  with  that  country  was 
henceforth  to  be  a  crime  ;  all  her  citizens  found  in  any 
country  in  alliance  with  France  to  be  prisoners  ;  every 
article  of  English  produce  or  manufacture,  wherever 
discovered,  to  be  confiscated.  In  a  word,  wherever 
France  had  power,  the  slightest  communication  with 
England  was  henceforth  to  be  treason  against  the  maj- 
esty of  Napoleon;  and  every  coast  of  Europe  was  to 
be  lined  with  new  armies*  douaniers  and  gens  d'armes. 


1806.]  DECREES    OF    BERLIN.  207 

for  the  purpose  of  carrying  into  effect  what  he  called 
"  the  continental  system." 

He  had  long  meditated  the  organization  of  this  sys- 
tem, and  embraced,  as  a  favorable  opportunity  for  its 
promulgation,  the  moment  which  saw  him  at  length 
predominant  in  the  north  of  Germany,  and  thus,  in  ef- 
fect, master  of  the  whole  coasts  of  Europe  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Oder  round  to  the  Adriatic  Gulf.  The 
system,  however,  could  not  be  carried  into  effect,  be- 
cause from  long  habit  the  manufactured  goods  and 
colonial  produce  of  Britain  had  come  to  be  necessaries 
of  life  among  every  civilized  people  of  the  world :  and 
consequently  every  private  citizen  found  his  own  do- 
mestic comforts  invaded  by  the  decree,  which  avow- 
edly aimed  only  at  the  revenues  of  the  English  crown. 
Every  man,  therefore,  was  under  continual  temptation, 
each  in  his  own  sphere  and  method,  to  violate  the  de 
crees  of  Berlin.  The  custom-house  officers  were  ex- 
posed to  bribes  which  their  virtue  could  not  resist. 
Even  the  most  attached  of  Napoleon's  own  function- 
aries connived  at  the  universal  spirit  of  evasion — hi?j 
orothers  themselves,  in  their  respective  dominions, 
could  not  help  sympathizing  with  their  subjects,  and 
winking  at  the  methods  of  relief  to  which  they  were  led 
by  necessity,  the  mother  of  invention.  The  severe  po- 
lice, however,  which  was  formed,  everywhere  as  a 
necessary  part  of  the  machinery  for  carrying  these 
edicts  into  execution — the  insolence  of  the  innumera- 
ble spies  and  informers  whom  they  set  in  motion — and 
the  actual  deprivation  of  usual  comforts,  in  so  far  as  it 
existed — all  these  circumstances  conspired  to  render 
the  name  of  the  Berlin  decrees  odious  throughout  Eu- 
rope and  in  France  itself. 

Napoleon  received  at  Berlin  a  deputation  of  his  sen- 
ate, sent  from  Paris  to  congratulate  him  on  the  suc- 
cesses of  his  campaign.  To  them  he  announced  these 
celebrated  decrees :  he  made  them  the  bearers  of  the 
trophies  of  his  recent  victories,  and,  moreover,  of  a  de- 
mand for  the  immediate  levying  of  80,000  men,  being 
the  first  conscription  for  the  year  1808 — that  for  the 
year  1807  having  been  already  anticipated.  The 


208  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1806. 

subservient  senate  recorded  and  granted  whatever  their 
master  pleased  to  dictate  ;  but  -the  cost  of  human  life 
which  Napoleon's  ambition  demanded  had  begun,  ere 
this  time,  to  be  seriously  thought  of  in  France.  He, 
meanwhile,  prepared,  without  further  delay,  to  extin- 
guish the  feeble  spark  of  resistance  which  still  lingered 
in  a  few  garrisons  of  the  Prussian  monarchy,  beyond 
the  Oder ;  and  to  meet,  ere  they  could  reach  the  soil 
of  Germany,  those  Russian  legions  which  were  now 
advancing,  too  late,  to  the  assistance  of  Frederick 
William.  That  unfortunate  prince  sent  Lucchesini  to 
Berlin,  to  open,  if  possible,  a  negotiation  with  the  vic- 
torious occupant  of  his  capital  and  palace  :  but  Bona- 
parte demanded  Dantzic,  and  two  other  fortified 
towns,  as  the  price  of  even  the  briefest  armistice  ;  and 
the  Italian  envoy  returned,  to  inform  the  king  that  no 
hope  remained  for  him  except  in  the  arrival  of  the  Rus- 
sians. 

Napoleon  held  in  his  hands  the  means  of  opening  his 
campaign  with  those  allies  of  Prussia,  under  circum- 
stances involving  his  enemy  in  a  new,  and  probably 
endless,  train  of  difficulties.  The  partition  of  Poland 
— that  great  political  crime,  for  which  every  power  that 
had  a  part  in  it  has  since  been  severely,  though  none 
of  them  adequately,  punished — had  left  the  population, 
of  what  had  once  been  a  great  and  powerful  kingdom, 
in  a  state  of  discontent  and  irritation,  of  which,  had 
Napoleon  been  willing  to  make  full  use  of  it,  the  fruits 
might  have  been  more  dangerous  for  the  czar  than  any 
campaign  against  any  foreign  enemy.  The  French 
emperor  had  but  to  announce  distinctly  that  his  pur- 
pose was  the  restoration  of  Poland  as  an  independent 
state,  and  the  whole  mass  of  an  eminently  gallant  and 
warlike  population  would  have  risen  instantly  at  his 
call.  But  Bonaparte  was  withheld  from  resorting  to 
this  effectual  means  of  annoyance  by  various  consider- 
ations, of  which  the  chief  were  these  :  first,  he  could  not 
emancipate  Poland  without  depriving  Austria  of  a  rich 
and  important  province,  and  consequently  provoking 
her  once  more  into  the  field :  and,  secondly,  he  foresaw 
that  the  Russian  emperor,  if  threatened  with  the  de- 


1806.]     SAXONY HESSE  CASSEL POLAND.       209 

struction  of  his  Polish  territory  and  authority,  would 
urge  the  war  in  a  very  different  manner  from  that 
which  he  was  likely  to  adopt  while  acting  only  as  the 
ally  of  Prussia.  In  a  word,  Napoleon  was  well  aware 
of  the  extent  of  the  czar's  resources,  and  had  no  wish 
at  this  time  to  give  a  character  of  irremediable  bitter- 
ness to  their  quarrel :  but  though  he  for  these  reasons 
refrained  from  openly  appealing  in  his  own  person  to 
the  Poles  as  a  nation,  yet  he  had  no  scruple  about  per- 
mitting others  to  tamper,  in  his  behalf,  with  the  justly 
indignant  feelings  of  the  people.  Some  Polish  officers 
were  already  enlisted  in  his  army,  and  through  these 
and  others  he  contrived  to  awaken  the  outraged  pas- 
sions of  their  countrymen,  many  of  whom  flocked  to  his 
standard,  in  the  fond  belief  that  he  was  to  be  the  lib- 
erator of  their  nation. 

Before  re-opening  the  great  campaign,  Bonaparte 
accepted  the  submission  and  explanation  of  the  elector 
of  Saxony,  who  truly  stated  that  Prussia  had  forced 
him  to  take  part  in  the  war.  The  apology  was  accept- 
ed, and  from  this  time  the  elector  adhered  to  the 
league  of  the  Rhine,  and  was  a  faithful  ally  of  Na- 
poleon. The  landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel  had  worse 
fortune.  The  answer  to  all  his  applications  was,  that 
he  had  ceased  to  reign.  What  use  the  conqueror  de- 
signed to  make  of  the  territories  thus  confiscated,  we 
shall  presently  see.  The  Saxon  army,  and  that  of 
Hesse  Cassel,  were  both,  however,  at  his  disposal,  and 
they  both  accordingly  were  marched  forwards,  and 
blended  with  the  forces  occupying  Prussia. 

The  French  army,  having  now  invested  Glogau, 
Breslau,  and  Graudentz,  and  left  detachments  to  urge 
these  sieges,  moved  towards  the  Polish  frontier.  Gen- 
eral Bennigsen,  with  a  considerable  Russian  army,  had 
advanced  to  overawe  the  .dissatisfied  population,  and 
was  now  at  Warsaw.  But  the  march  of  the  French 
van  under  Murat  soon  alarmed  him  in  these  quarters. 
After  some  skirmishes  of  little  moment  the  Russians  re- 
tired behind  the  Vistula,  and  Murat  took  possession  of 
the  Polish  metropolis  on  the  28th  of  November.  On 
the  25th,  Napoleon  himself  had  reached  Posen,  and 


210  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1806 

found  himself  surrounded  by  a  population  in  a  high 
state  of  excitement  and  enthusiasm.  The  ancient  na- 
tional dress  reappeared  :  hope  and  exultation  beamed  in 
every  countenance  :  the  old  nobles,  quitting  the  solitary 
castles  in  which  they  had  been  lamenting  over  the  down- 
fall of  Poland,  crowded  the  levees  of  th»  victor,  and  ad- 
dressed him  in  language  which  recalled  the  half-orien- 
tal character  and  manners  of  their  nation.  "  We 
adore  you,"  said  the  palatine  of  Gnesna,  "and  with 
confidence  repose  in  you  all  our  hopes,  as  upon  Him 
who  raises  empires  and  destroys  them,  and  humbles 
the  proud — the  regenerator  of  our  country,  the  legisla- 
tor of  the  universe."  "  Already,"  said  the  president  of 
the  council  of  justice,  "already  our  country  is  saved, 
for  we  adore  in  your  person  the  most  just  and  the  most 
profound  Solon.  We  commit  bur  fate  into  your 
hands,  and  implore  the  protection  of  the  most  august 
Cajsar." 

Having  largely  "recruited  his  armies  with  brave 
Poles,  who  fancied  him  both  a  Solon  and  a  Caesar, 
Napoleon  now  moved  forwards.  General  Bennigsen 
found  himself  under  the  necessity  of  abandoning,  first 
the  line  of  the  Vistula,  and  then  that  of  the  Bug,  and 
the  French  still  advancing  in  numbers  not  to  be  resist- 
ed by  his  division,  at  length  threw  himself  behind  the 
river  Wkra,  where  Kaminskoy,  the  Russian  comman- 
der-in-chief,  and  three  other  divisions  of  the  army,  had 
by  this  time  taken  their  ground.  On  the  23d  of  De- 
cember, Napoleon  reached  and  crossed  the  Wkra,  and 
Kaminskoy  ordered  his  whole  army  to  fall  back  upon 
the  line  of  Niemen.  Bennigsen  accordingly  retired  to- 
wards Pultusk,  Galitzin  upon  Golymin,  both  followed 
by  great  bodies  of  the  French,  and  both  sustaining  with 
imperturbable  patience  and  gallantry  the  severities  of  a 
march  through  roads,  on  which  it  is  said  there  were  at 
the  time  about  five  feet  of  mud,  and  of  frequent  skir- 
mishes with  their  pursuers.  But  the  minor  divisions 
of  D'Anrep  and  Buxhouden  retreated  without  keeping 
up  the  requisite  communications  with  either  Bennigsen 
or  Galitzin,  and  consequently  suffered  considerably. 

Bennigsen,  in  spite  of  Kaminskoy 's  orders  to  retreat 


1806.]  BATTLE    OP    PULTUSK.  21-. 

at  all  hazards,  made  a  stand,  and  a  most  gallant  one  at 
Pultusk.  Having  his  left  in  that  town,  and  his  right 
on  a  wood,  the  general  conceived  his  position  to  be  too 
favorable  for  speedy  abandonment,  and  on  the  26th  of 
December  expected  J;he  onset  of  Lannes,  Davoust,  and 
the  imperial  guard  of  France.  They  charged  with 
their  usual  impetuosity,  and  drove  the  Russian  right 
wing,  under  general  Barclay  de  Tolly,  out  of  the  wood ; 
but  Bennigsen  skilfully  availed  himself  of  this  occur- 
rence ;  by  his  orders  Barclay  de  Tolly  retired  much 
further  than  was  necessary  for  his  own  safety,  and  the 
French,  advancing  unguardedly,  found  themselves  con- 
fronted on  very  unfavorable  ground  with  the  Russian 
main  body,  which  had  now  been  arranged  on  a  new 
line  of  battle,  and  of  a  battery  of  120  guns,  placed  so  as 
to  command  their  march  with  terrible  efficacy.  The 
result  was,  that  the  Russians  lost  5000  in  killed  and 
wounded,  the  French  8000 — one  of  their  wounded 
being  marshal  Lannes  himself;  and  the  French  drew 
back  from  the  hardly  contested  field  with  such  haste, 
that  all  next  day  the  advancing  Cossacks  sought  in  vain 
for  their  rear-guard.  On  the  same  day,  with  nearly  as 
much  success,  prince  Galitzin  halted  also,  and  awaited 
and  repelled  the  enemy  in  pursuit ;  and  had  either  Ben- 
nigsen  or  Galitzin  been  supported  by  the  other  divisions, 
which  were  doing  nothing  within  a  few  miles  of  their 
respective  marches,  these  events  might  have  been  im- 
proved so  as  to  involve  the  French  army  in  great  and 
immediate  perplexity.  But  in  truth,  the  total  want  of 
plan  and  combination  on  the  part  of  Kaminskoy  was 
by  this  time  apparent  to  the  veriest  tyro  in  his  camp. 
Symptoms  of  actual  insanity  appeared  shortly  after- 
ward, and  the  chief  command  was  transferred,  with 
universal  approbation,  to  Bennigsen. 

The  affairs  of  Pultusk  and  Golymin,  however,  were 
productive  of  excellent  effects.  The  raised  to  a  high 
pitch  the  spirits  of  the  Russian  soldiery ;  and  they  af- 
forded Napoleon  such  a  specimen  of  the  character  of 
his  new  enemy,  that  instead  of  pursuing  the  campaign, 
as  he  had  announced  in  his  bulletins,  he  thought  fit  to 
vetire,  and  place  his  troops  in  winter  quarters.  He 


212  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1807 

himself  took  up  his  residence  at  Warsaw,  and  the  army 
occupied  cantonments  in  various  towns  to  the  east- 
ward. 

But  general  Bennigsen,  having  proved  at  Pultusk 
what  Russian  troops  could  do  when  under  a  determined 
commander,  no  sooner  found  himself  at  the  head  of  an 
army  of  nearly  100,000  men,  than  he  resolved  to  disturb 
the  French  in  their  quarters,  and  at  all  events  give 
them  such  occupation  as  might  enable  the  king  of 
Prussia  to  revictual  Konigsberg,  where  the  few  troops, 
gathered  round  that  unfortunate  sovereign,  were  al- 
ready beginning  to  suffer  many  privations.  With  this 
view  Bennigsen  advanced  as  far  as  Mohrungen,  where 
the  French  sustained  considerable  damage  in  a  skir- 
mish, and  from  whence  his  Cossacks  spread  themselves 
abroad  over  the  country — creating  such  confusion, 
that  the  leaguer  of  Konigsberg  being  for  the  moment 
relaxed,  the  Prussian  garrison  received  welcome  sup- 
plies of  all  kinds,  and  Napoleon  himself  perceived  the 
necessity  of  breaking  up  his  cantonments,  and  once 
more  concentrating  the  army  for  active  war. 

His  design  was  to  occupy  Willensberg,  to  the  rear  of 
the  great  Russian  camp  at  Mohrungen ;  thus  cutting 
off  the  new  enemy's  communications  with  his  own 
means  of  resource,  in  the  same  manner  which  had 
proved  so  fatal  to  the  Austrians  at  Ulm,  and  the  Prus- 
sians at  Jena.  But  Bennigsen,  having  learned  the 
plan  from  an  intercepted  despatch,  immediately  counter- 
marched his  army  with  masterly  skill,  and  thus  involved 
N'apoleon'in  a  long  series  of  manoeuvres,  not  to  be  exe- 
cuted in  such  a  country  at  that  dismal  season  without 
the  extremity  of  hardship.  The  Russians  themselves 
inured  as  they  were  to  northern  climates,  and  incapable 
of  even  dreaming  that  a  soldier  could  seek  safety  in 
flight,  were  reduced  to  the  border  of  phrensy  by  the 
privation  of  these  long  marches.  Their  commissariat 
was  wretched ;  the  soldiers  had  often  no  food,  except 
such  frozen  roots  as  they  could  dig  out  of  the  ground  ; 
and  tortured  with  toil  and  famine,  they  at  length  de- 
manded battle  so  vehemently,  that,  against  his  own 
judgment,  general  Bennigsen  consented  to  grant  the 


1807.]         BATTLE  OF  PREUSS-EYLAU.  213 

prayer.  He  selected  the  town  of  Preuss-Eylau,  and  a 
strong  position  behind  it,  as  his  field  of  battle ;  and — 
after  two  skirmishes,  one  at  Landsberg,  the  other  nearer 
the  chosen  ground,  in  the  former  of  which  the  French,  in 
the  latter  the  Russians,  had  the  advantage; — the  whole 
army  reached  Preuss-Eylau  on  the  7th  of  February. 

In  the  confusion  of  so  great  a  movement,  a  division 
designed  by  Bennigsen  to  occupy  the  town  itself  mis- 
understood the  order,  and  evacuated  it  at  the  approach 
of  the  enemy's  van.  The  French  took  possession  of 
the  place  accordingly,  and — general  Bennigsen  com- 
manding it  to  be  regained,  as  soon  as  he  learned  the 
mistake  that  had  occurred — the  whole  day  was  spent 
in  severe  fighting  within  the  town,  which  was  taken 
and  retaken  several  times,  and  at  the  fall  of  night  re- 
mained in  the  hands  of  the  French.  On  either  side  the 
loss  had  been  very  great,  and  Napoleon,  coming  up  in 
person,  perceived  that  the  contest  must  needs  be  re- 
newed at  daybreak.  The  night  was  clear,  and  he  could 
trace  the  enemy's  line  darkening  the  w7hole  of  an  admi- 
rably selected  position,  between  which  and  the  dearly 
contested  town,  a  level  space  covered  with  snow,  and 
two  or  three  small  frozen  lakes,  glittered  in  the  mingled 
light  of  an  unclouded  moon  and  innumerable  watch- 
fires. 

The  great  battle  of  PREUSS-EYLAU  was  fought  on  the 
8th  of  February.  At  dawn  of  day  the  French  charged 
at  two  different  points  in  strong  columns,  and  were 
unable  to  shake  the  iron  steadiness  of  the  infantry, 
while  the  Russian  horse,  and  especially  the  Cossacks 
under  their  gallant  Hetman  PlatofT,  made  fearful  exe- 
cution on  each  division,  as  successively  they  drew  back 
from  their  vain  attempt.  A  fierce  storm  arose  at  mid- 
day :  the  snow  drifted  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Russians ; 
the  village  of  Serpallen,  on  their  left,  caught  fire,  and 
the  smoke  also  rolled  dense  upon  them.  Davoust  skil- 
fully availed  himself  of  the  opportunity,  and  turned  their 
flank  so  rapidly,  that  Serpallen  was  lost,  and  the  left 
wing  compelled  to  wheel  backwards,  so  as  to  form 
almost  at  right  angles  with  the  rest  of  the  line.  The 
Prussian  corps  of  L'Estocq,  a  small  but  determined 


214  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1807. 

fragment  of  the  campaign  of  Jena,  appeared  at  this 
critical  moment  in  the  rear  of  the  Russian  left ;  and, 
charging  with  such  gallantry  as  had  in  former  times 
been  expected  from  the  soldiery  of  the  great  Freder- 
ick, drove  back  Davoust,  and  restored  the  Russian 
line.  The  action  continued  for  many  hours  along  the 
whole  line — the  French  attacking  boldly,  the  Russians 
driving  them  back  with  unfailing  resolution.  Ney, 
with  a  fresh  division,  at  length  came  up,  and  succeed- 
ed in  occupying  the  village  of  Schloditten,  on  the 
road  to  Konigsberg.  To  regain  this,  and  thereby  re- 
cover the  means  of  communicating  with  the  king  of 
Prussia,  was  deemed  necessary  ;  and  it  was  carried 
accordingly  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  This  was  at 
ten  o'clock  at  night.  So  ended  the  longest  and  by 
far  the  severest  battle  in  which  Bonaparte  had  as  yet 
been  engaged.  The  French  are  supposed  to  have 
had  90,000  men  under  arms  at  its  commencement ; 
the  Russians  not  more  than  60,000.  After  fourteen 
hours'  fighting  either  army  occupied  the  same  posi- 
tion as  in  the  morning.  Twelve  of  Napoleon's  eagles 
were  in  the  hands  of  Bennigsen;  and  the  field  between 
was  covered  with  50,000  corpses,  of  whom  at  least 
half  were  French. 

Either  leader  claimed  the  victory  ;  Bennigsen  ex- 
hibiting as  proof  of  his  success  the  twelve  eagles 
which  his  army,  admitted  to  be  inferior  in  numbers, 
bore  off  the  field ;  Bonaparte,  that  he  kept  possession 
of  the  field,  while  the  enemy  retired,  the  very  night 
after  the  battle,  from  Eylau  towards  Konigsberg.  It 
was,  in  truth,  a  drawn  battle  ;  and  to  have  found  an 
equal  was  sufficient  bitterness  to  Napoleon.  The  Rus- 
sian general-in-chief  had  retreated,  out  of  anxiety  for 
the  personal  safety  of  the  king  of  Prussia  at  Konigs- 
berg, and  desire  to  recruit  his  army  ere  another  great 
action  should  be  hazarded.  The  French,  triumphant 
as  was  the  language  of  their  bulletins,  made  no  effort 
to  pursue.  Bennigsen  conducted  his  army  in  perfect 
order  to  Konigsberg,  and  the  Cossacks  issuing  from 
that  city  continued  for  more  than  a  week  to  waste  the 
country  according  to  their  pleasure,  without  any  show 


1807.]  DEPPEN FRIEDLAND.  215 

of  opposition  from  the  French.  Finally,  on  the  19th 
of  February,  Napoleon  left  Eylau,  and  retreated  with 
his  whole  army  on  the  Vistula,  well  satisfied  that  it 
would  be  rashness  to  engage  on  another  campaign  in 
Poland,  while  several  fortified  towns,  and,  above  all, 
Dantzic  held  out  in  his  rear,  and  determined  to  have 
possession  of  these  places,  and  to  summon  new  forces 
from  France,  ere  he  should  again  meet  in  the  field  such 
an  enemy  as  the  Russian  had  proved  to  be. 

Dantzic  was  defended  with  great  resolution,  but  was 
at  length  compelled  to  surrender,  on  the  7th  of  May ; 
after  which  event,  Napoleon's  extraordinary  exertions 
in  hurrying  supplies  from  France,  Switzerland,  and  the 
Rhine  country,  and  the  addition  of  the  division  of 
25,000,  which  had  captured  Dantzic,  enabled  him  to 
take  the  field  again  at  the  head  of  not  less  than  280,000 
men.  The  Russian  general  also  had  done  what  was 
in  his  power  to  recruit  his  army  during  this  interval ; 
but  his  utmost  zeal  could  effect  no  more  than  bringing 
his  muster  up  again  to  its  original  point — 90,000  ;  still, 
though  this  force  left  the  odds  fearfully  against  him,  he 
was,  nevertheless,  the  first  to  reappear  in  the  field.  In 
the  beginning  of  June  he  attacked  Ney's  division  station- 
ed at  Gustadt,  and  pursued  them  to  Deppen,  where,  on 
the  8th,  a  smart  action  took  place,  and  Napoleon  ar- 
rived in  person  to  support  his  troops.  The  Russians 
were  then  forced  to  retire  towards  Heilsberg,  where 
they  halted  and  maintained  their  position,  during  a 
whole  day,  in  the  face  of  an  enemy  prodigiously  supe- 
rior in  numbers.  The  carnage  on  both  sides  was  fear- 
ful ;  and  Bennigsen,  continuing  his  retreat,  placed  the 
river  Aller  between  him  and  Napoleon. 

The  French  emperor  now  exerted  all  his  art  to  draw 
the  Russian  into  a  general  action  :  the  resistance  he 
had  met  with  had  surprised  and  enraged  him,  and  he 
was  eager  to  overpower  and  extinguish  Bennigsen  be- 
fore further  supplies  of  these  hardy  Muscovites  should  • 
come  up  to  swell  his  ranks.  The  Russian  general  was 
on  the  west  or  left  bank  of  the  Aller,  opposite  to  the 
town  of  Friedland,  when  Bonaparte  once  more  came 
up  with  him,  on  the  13th  of  June.  There  was  a  long 


216  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1807 

and  narrow  wooden  bridge  over  the  river,  close  by 
which  might  have  been  destroyed  if  not  defended  ;  and 
Napoleon's  object  was  to  induce  Bennigsen,  instead  of 
abiding  by  his  position,  to  abandon  its  advantages,  pass 
over  to  the  eastern  bank,  and  accept  battle  with  the 
town  and  river  in  his  rear.  His  crafty  management 
outwitted  the  Russian,  who,  being  persuaded  that  the 
troops  which  appeared  in  front  of  him  were  only  a 
small  division  of  the  French  army,  was  tempted  to 
send  some  regiments  over  the  river  for  the  purpose  of 
chastising  them.  The  French,  sometimes  retreating, 
and  then  again  returning  to  the  combat,  the  Russians 
were  be  degrees  induced  to  cross  in  greater  numbers  ; 
until  at  length  Bennigsen  found  himself  and  his  whole 
army  on  the  eastern  bank,  with  the  town  and  bridge  in 
their  rear — thus  completely  entrapped  in  the  snare 
laid  for  him  by  his  enemy. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  under  circumstances  thus  dis- 
advantageous, the  Russian  general  found  himself  com- 
pelled to  accept  battle.  His  army  occupied  open 
ground — the  intricate  and  narrow  streets  of  the  town 
of  Friedland,  and  the  bridge  behind  it,  appeared  to  be 
his  only  means  of  retreat  in  case  of  misadventure — 
and  in  front,  and  on  either  flank,  extended  those  woods 
which  had  covered  Bonaparte's  stratagems  of  the  pre- 
ceding day,  and  which  now  afforded  complete  shelter 
to  the  imperial  army — the  means  of  attacking  from 
whatever  point  they  might  select — and  of  retiring  with 
safety  as  often  as  might  be  found  advisable. 

The  battle  commenced  at  ten  in  the  morning,  and 
the  Russians  stood  their  ground  with  unbroken  resolu- 
tion until  between  four  and  five  in  the  evening,  sustain- 
ing numberless  charges  of  foot  and  horse,  and  exposed 
all  the  while  to  a  murderous  cannonade.  At  length, 
Napoleon  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  French  line, 
and  commanded  a  general  assault  of  all  arms,  which 
was  executed  with  overpowering  effect.  Having  lost 
full  12,000  men,  general  Bennigsen  was  at  last  com- 
pelled to  attempt  a  retreat :  the  French  poured  after 
him  into  the  town  :  the  first  Russian  division  which 
forced  the  passage  of  the  river  destroyed  the  bridge  be- 


1807.]  ARMISTICE.  217 

hind  them  in  their  terror;  and  the  rest  of  the  army 
escaped  by  means  of  deep  and  dangerous  fords,  which, 
desperate  as  the  resource  they  afforded  was,  had  been 
discovered  only  in  the  moment  of  necessity.  Never- 
theless, such  were  the  coolness  and  determination  of 
the  Russians,  that  they  saved  all  their  baggage,  and  lost 
only  seventeen  cannon ;  and  such  was  the  impression 
which  their  obstinate  valor  left  on  the  enemy,  that  their 
retreat  towards  the  Niemen  was  performed  without 
any  show  of  molestation. 

The  results  of  the  battle  of  Friedland  were,  however, 
as  great  as  could  have  been  expected  from  any  victory. 
On  the  retreat  of  Bennigsen  towards  the  Niemen,  the 
unfortunate  king  of  Prussia,  evacuating  Konigsberg, 
where  he  now  perceived  it  must  be  impossible  to  main- 
tain himself,  sought  a  last  and  precarious  shelter  in  the 
seaport  of  Memel ;  and  the  emperor  Alexander,  over- 
awed by  the  genius  of  Napoleon,  which  had  triumphed 
over  troops  more  resolute  than  had  ever  before  opposed 
him,  and  alarmed  for  the  consequences  of  some  deci- 
sive measure  towards  the  re-organization  of  the  Poles 
as  a  nation,  began  to  think  seriously  of  peace.  Bona- 
parte, on  his  part  also,  had  many  reasons  for  being 
anxious  to  bring  hostilities  to  a  close.  The  Swedish 
king  was  in  Pomerania,  besieging  Stralsund,  and  hourly 
expecting  reinforcements  from  England,  which  might 
have  ended  in  a  formidable  diversion  in  the  rear  of  the 
French  army.  Schill,  an  able  partisan,  was  in  arms  in 
Prussia,  where  the  gerferal  discontent  was  such,  that 
nothing  but  opportunity  seemed  wanting  for  a  national 
insurrection  against  the  conquerors.  The  further  ad- 
vance of  the  French  towards  the  north  could  hardly 
have  failed  to  afford  such  an  opportunity.  Neither 
could  this  be  executed,  to  all  appearance,  without  in- 
volving the  necessity  of  proclaiming  the  independence 
of  Poland  ;  thereby  giving  a  character  of  mortal  ran- 
cor to  the  war  with  Russia,  and  in  all  likelihood  call- 
ing Austria  once  more  into  the  field.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances the  minds  of  Napoleon  and  Alexander  were 
equally  disposed  towards  negotiation  :  general  Bennig- 
sen sent,  on  the  21st  of  June,  to  demand  an  armistice; 

J 


218  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1807 

and  to  this  proposal  the  victor  of  Friedland  yielded  im- 
mediate assent. 

The  armistice  was  ratified  on  the  23d  of  June,  and  on 
the  25th  the  emperors  of  France  and  Russia  met  person- 
ally, each  accompanied  by  a  few  attendants,  on  a  raft 
moored  on  the  river  Nietnen,  near  the  town  of  Tilsit. 
The  sovereigns  embraced  each  other,  and  retiring  under 
a  canopy  had  a  long  conversation,  to  which  no  one  was 
a  witness.  At  its  termination  the  appearances  of  mutual 
good-will  and  confidence  were  marked :  immediately 
afterward  the  town  of  Tilsit  was  neutralized,  and  the 
two  emperors  established  their  courts  there,  and  lived 
together,  in  the  midst  of  the  lately  hostile  armies,  more 
like  old  friends  who  had  met  on  a  party  of  pleasure,  than 
enemies  and  rivals  attempting  by  diplomatic  means  the 
arrangement  of  differences  which  had  for  years  been  del- 
uging Europe  with  blood.  Whatever  flatteries  could  be 
suggested  by  the  consummate  genius  and  mature  experi- 
ence of  Napoleon,  were  lavished,  and  produced  their 
natural  effects,  on  the  mind  of  a  young  autocrat,  of 
great  ambition,  and  as  great  vanity.  The  intercourse 
of  the  emperors  assumed  by  degrees  the  appearance  of 
a  brotherlike  intimacy.  They  spent  their  mornings  in 
reviewing  each  other's  troops,  or  in  unattended  rides ; 
their  evenings  seemed  to  be  devoted  to  the  pleasures 
of  the  table,  the  spectacle,  music,  dancing,  and  gallantry. 
Meantime,  the  terms  of  a  future  alliance  were  in  effect 
discussed  and  settled,  much  more  'rapidly  than  could 
have  been  expected  from  any  of  the  usual  apparatus  o/ 
diplomatic  negotiation. 

The  unfortunate  king  of  Prussia  was  invited  to  ap- 
pear at  Tilsit ;  but,  complying  with  this  invitation,  wa^ 
admitted  to  no  share  of  the  intimacy  of  Napoleon. 
The  conqueror  studiously,  and  on  every  occasion, 
marked  the  difference  between  his  sentiments  respect- 
ing this  prince  and  the  young  and  powerful  sovereign, 
for  whose  sake  alone  any  shadow  of  royalty  was  to  be 
conceded  to  the  fallen  house  of  Brandenburg.  The 
beautiful  and  fascinating  queen  also  arrived  at  Tilsit ; 
but  she  was  treated  even  more  coldly  and  harshly  than 
her  husband.  Involuntarily  tears  rushed  from  her 


1807.]  PEACEOFTILSIT.  219 

eyes  as  she  submitted  to  the  contemptuous  civilities  of 
Napoleon.  His  behavior  to  this  admirable  person  re- 
kindled with  new  fervor  the  wrath  and  hatred  of  every 
Prussian  bosom  ;  and  her  death,  following  soon  after- 
ward, was  attributed  to  the  cruel  laceration  which  all 
her  feelings  as  a  woman  and  a  queen  had  undergone. 

The  treaty  of  Tilsit,  to  which,  as  the  document  itself 
bore  testimony,  the  king  of  Prussia  was  admitted  as  a 
party  solely  by  reason  of  Napoleon's  "esteem  for  the 
emperor  of  Russia,"  was  ratified  on  the  7th  July.  Na- 
poleon restored,  by  this  act,  to  Frederick  William, 
ancient  Prussia  and  the  French  conquests  in  Upper 
Saxony — the  king  agreeing  to  adopt  "the  continental 
system,"  in  other  words,  to  be  henceforth  the  vassal  of 
the  conqueror.  The  Polish  provinces  of  Prussia  were 
erected  into  a  separate  principality,  styled  "the  grand 
duchy  of  Warsaw,"  and  bestowed  on  the  elector  of 
Saxony  ,  with  the  exception,  however,  of  some  terri- 
tories assigned  to  Russia,  and  of  Dantzic,  which  was 
declared  a  free  city,  to  be  garrisoned  by  French  troops 
until  the  ratification  of  a  maritime  peace.  The  Prus- 
sian dominions  in  Lower  Saxony  and  on  the  Rhine, 
with  Hanover,  Hesse  Cassel,  and  various  other  small 
states,  formed  a  new  kingdom  of  Westphalia,  of  which 
Jerome  Bonaparte,  Napoleon's  youngest  brother,  was 
recognized  as  king.  The  elector  of  Saxony  was  rec- 
ognized as  another  king  of  Napoleon's  creation ; 
Joseph  Bonaparte  as  king  of  Naples ;  and  Louis,  of 
Holland.  Finally,  Russia  accepted  the  mediation  of 
France  for  a  peace  with  Turkey,  and  France  that  of 
Russia  for  a  peace  with  England. 

Such  were  the  public  articles  of  the  peace  of  Tilsit, 
but  the  British  minister  at  St.  Petersburg  was  able  to 
discover  to  the  full  assurance  of  his  government  that 
the  emperor  of  Russia  had  adopted  the  alliance  of 
Napoleon  to  an  extent  far  beyond  what  appeared  on 
the  face  of  the  treaty  of  the  7th  July ;  that  he  had 
agreed  not  only  to  lay  English  commerce,  in  case  his 
mediation  for  a  peace  should  fail,  under  the  same  ban 
with  that  of  the  decrees  of  Berlin,  but  to  place  himself 
at  the  head  of  a  general  confederation  of  the  northern 


220  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1807. 

maritime  powers  against  the  naval  supremacy  of  Eng- 
land ;  in  other  words,  resign  his  own  fleets,  with  those 
of  Denmark,  to  the  service  of  Napoleon.  In  requital 
of  this  obligation  the  French  emperor  unquestionably 
agreed  to  permit  the  czar  to  conquer  Finland  from 
Sweden — thereby  adding  immeasurably  to  the  security 
of  St.  Petersburg.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  almost  as 
impossible  to  doubt  that  Alexander  pledged  himself  not 
to  interfere  with  those  ambitious  designs  as  to  the 
Spanish  peninsula,  which  Napoleon  was  ere  long  to 
develop,  and  which  w?ere  destined  ultimately  to  work 
his  ruin. 

In  a  word,  there  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  Napo- 
leon broached  at  Tilsit  the  dazzling  scheme  of  dividing 
the  European  world  virtually  between  the  two  great 
monarchs  of  France  and  Russia ;  and  that  the  czar, 
provided  he  were  willing  to  look  on,  while  his  imperial 
brother  of  the  west  subjected  Spain,  Portugal,  and 
England  to  his  yoke,  was  induced  to  count  on  equal 
forbearance,  whatever  schemes  he  might  venture  on 
for  his  own  aggrandizement,  at  the  expense  of  the 
smaller  states  of  the  north  of  Europe,  and,  above  all, 
of  the  Ottoman  porte. 

Napoleon,  having  left  strong  garrisons  in  the  mari- 
time cities  of  Poland  and  Northern  Germany,  returned 
to  Paris  in  August,  and  was  received  by  the  senate  and 
other  public  bodies  with  all  the  triumph  and  excess  of 
adulation.  The  Swedish  king  abandoned  Pomerania 
immediately  on  hearing  of  the  treaty  of  Tilsit.  In 
effect,  the  authority  of  the  emperor  appeared  now  to  be 
consolidated  over  the  whole  continent  of  Europe. 
England  violating  her  treaties  by  sending  an  expedition 
against  Copenhagen,  furnished  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
with  a  favorable  pretext  for  declaring  his  sentiments. 
The  British  ambassador  was  dismissed  from  St.  Peters- 
burg,— and  a  general  coalition  of  Russia,  Austria, 
Prussia,  and  Denmark,  against  the  commerce  of  Eng- 
land being  speedily  afterward  formed,  the  decrees  of 
Berlin — still  further  strengthened  by  other  decrees, 
issued  by  Napoleon  on  the  7th  December,  at  Milan — 
were  in  fact  announced  as  part  and  parcel  of  the  uni- 


1807.]         GOVERNMENT  OF  FRANCE.  221 

versal  law  of  the  continent.  Alexander  of  Russia 
marched  a  large  army  into  Finland,  and  took  posses- 
sion of  that  great  Swedish  province — the  promised 
booty  of  Tilsit.  His  fleet  in  the  Mediterranean  gained 
a  signal  victory  over  the  Turks,  and  terms  of  amity 
between  the  courts  of  St.  Petersburg  and  Constanti- 
nople were  at  length  arranged  under  the  mediation  or 
^dictation  of  Napoleon.  Everything  seemed  to  point  to 
a  state  of  universal  tranquillity  or  submission  through- 
out the  continent,  and  to  a  steady  devotion  of  all  the 
resources  of  the  European  monarchies  to  the  service 
of  the  French  emperor,  and  the  destruction  of  his  last 
and  greatest  enemy. 

Soon  after  the  peace  of  Tilsit  and  immediately  upon 
his  arrival  in  Paris,  Bonaparte  began  to  busy  himself 
upon  the  internal  regulations  of  France.  The  tribunate 
was  abolished,  and  there  remained  as  the  last  shadows 
of  assemblies  having  any  political  influence,  the  legis- 
lative senate  and  the  council  of  state.  These  the 
emperor  soon  contrived  to  bring  completely  under  his 
disposal,  and  he  was  thus  left  in  reality  the  sole  dictator 
of  the  nation.  The  rule  which  he  exercised  was  most 
rigid  and  complete.  Religion,  education,  civil  and 
military  affairs,  were  all  brought  under  his  sway.  His 
authority  extended  over  them  in  every  minute  as  well 
as  in  all  their  comprehensive  features.  Nothing  was 
too  small  to  escape  his  notice  ;  nothing  too  large  for 
him  to  grasp.  The  whole  territory  was  divided  into 
prefectures — each  prefect  being  appointed  by  Napo- 
leon— carefully  selected  for  a  province  with  which  he 
had  no  domestic  relations — largely  paid — and  intrusted 
with  such  a  complete  delegation  of  power  that  in  Na- 
poleon's own  language,  each  was  in  his  department  an 
empereur  a  petit  pied.  Each  of  these  officers  had 
under  his  entire  control  inferior  local  magistrates, 
holding  power  from  him  as  he  did  from  the  emperor : 
each  of  them  had  his  instructions  direct  from  Paris: 
each  of  them  was  bound  by  every  motive  of  interest  to 
serve,  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability,  the  government  from 
which  everything  was  derived,  to  be  hoped  for,  and  to 
be  dreaded.  Wherever  the  emperor  was,  in  the  midst 


222  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1807 

of  his  hottest  campaigns,  he  examined  the  details  of  ad- 
ministration at  home  more  closely  than,  perhaps,  any 
other  sovereign  of  half  so  great  an  empire  did  during 
the  profoundest  peace.  It  was  said  of  him  that  his 
dearest  amusement,  when  he  had  nothing  else  to  do,  was 
to  solve  problems  in  algebra  or  geometry.  He  carried 
this  passion  into  every  department  of  affairs  ;  and  hav- 
ing, with  his  own  eye,  detected  some  errors  of  impor- 
tance in  the  public  accounts,  shortly  after  his  adminis- 
tration begun,  there  prevailed  thenceforth  in  all  the 
financial  records  of  the  state  such  clearness  and  accu- 
racy as  are  not  often  exemplified  in  those  of  a  large 
private  fortune.  Nothing  was  below  his  attention,  and 
he  found  time  for  everything.  The  humblest  func- 
tionary discharged  his  duty  under  a  lively  sense  of  the 
emperor's  personal  superintendence;  and  the  omni- 
presence of  his  police  came  in  lieu,  wherever  politics 
were  not  touched  upon,  of  the  guarding  powers  of  a 
free  press,  a  free  senate,  and  public  opinion.  Except 
in  political  cases,  the  trial  by  jury  was  the  right  of 
every  citizen.  The  Code  Napoleon,  that  elaborate 
system  of  jurisprudence,  in  the  formation  of  which  the 
emperor  labored  personally  along  with  the  most  eminent 
lawyers  and  enlightened  men  of  the  time,  was  a  boon 
of  inestimable  value  to  France.  "I  shall  go  down  to 
posterity,"  said  he,  with  just  pride,  "  with  the  code  in 
my  hand."  It  was  the  first  uniform  system  of  laws 
which  the  French  monarchy  had  ever  possessed  ;  and 
being  drawn  up  with  consummate  skill  and  wisdom,  it 
at  this  day  forms  the  code  not  only  of  France,  but  of 
a  great  portion  of  Europe  besides.  Justice,  as  between 
man  and  man,  was  administered  on  sound  and  fixed 
principles,  and  by  unimpeached  tribunals.  The  arbi- 
trary commission  courts  of  ^apoleon  interfered  with 
nothing  but  offences,  real  or  \lleged,  against  the  au- 
thority of  the  emperor. 

His  exactions  from  the  nati  \  were  enormous,  but 
he  well  knew  how  to  make  ther  readily  borne.  In  the 
splendor  of  his  victories,  in  tht,  magnificence  of  his 
roads,  bridges,  aqueducts,  and  other  monuments,  in  the 
general  pre-eminence  to  which  the  nation  seemed  to  be 


1807.]  SPAIN    AND    PORTUGAL.  223 

raised  through  the  genius  of  its  chief,  compensation 
was  found  for  all  financial  burdens,  consolation  for  do- 
mes-tic calamities,  and  an  equivalent  for  that  liberty  in 
whose  name  the  emperor  had  achieved  his  first  glories. 

He  gratified  the  French  nation  by  adorning  the  cap- 
ital, and  by  displaying  in  the  Tuileries  a  court  as  elab- 
orately magnificent  as  that  of  Louis  XIV.  himself.  The 
old  nobility,  returning  from  their  exile,  mingled  in  those 
proud  halls  with  the  heroes  of  the  revolutionary  cam- 
paigns ;  and  over  all  the  ceremonials  of  these  stately 
festivities  Josephine  presided  with  the  grace  and  ele- 
gance of  one  born  to  be  a  queen.  In  the  midst  of  the 
pomp  and  splendor  of  a  court,  in  whose  antechambers 
kings  jostled  each  other,  Napoleon  himself  preserved 
the  plain  and  unadorned  simplicity  of  his  original  dress 
and  manners.  The  great  emperor  continued  through- 
out to  labor  more  diligently  than  any  subaltern  in 
office.  His  days  were  given  to  labor,  and  his  nights 
to  study.  If  he  was  not  with  his  army  in  the  field,  he 
traversed  the  provinces,  examining  with  his  own  eyes 
into  the  minutest  details  of  local  arrangement ;  and 
even  from  the  centre  of  his  camp  he  was  continually 
issuing  edicts  which  showed  the  accuracy  of  his  ob- 
servation during  these  journeys,  and  his  anxiety  to 
promote  by  any  means,  consistent  with  his  great  pur- 
pose, the  welfare  of  some  French  district,  town,  or  even 
village. 

The  treaty  of  Tilsit  did  not  bring  to  France  a  con- 
tinued peace.  Many  things  in  the  Spanish  Peninsula 
presaged  a  speedy  rupture  of  Spain  and  Portugal  with 
Napoleon.  He  fancied  that  both  these  powers  were 
conspiring  to  prevent  the  execution  of  his  "  continen- 
tal system/'  and  this  made  him  regard  their  conduct, 
especially  that  of  the  latter,  with  keen  suspicion.  The 
state  of  affairs  in  the  Spanish  court  at  this  junction 
was  such  as  to  enlist  his  close  attention. 

This  court  presented  in  itself  the  lively  image  of  a 
divided  and  degraded  nation.  The  king,  old  and  al- 
most incredibly  imbecile,  was  ruled  absolutely  by  his 
queen,  a  woman  audaciously  unprincipled,  whose  strong 
ar*d  wicked  passions  ag-iin  were  entirely  under  the  in- 


224  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE. 

fluence  of  Manuel  Godoy,  "  Prince  of  the  Peace," 
raised,  by  her  guilty  love,  from  the  station  of  a  private 
guardsman  to  precedence  above  all  the  grandees  of 
Spain,  a  matrimonial  connection  with  the  royal  house, 
and  the  supreme  conduct  of  affairs.  She,  her  paramour, 
and  the  degraded  king  were  held  in  contempt  and  ha- 
tred by  a  powerful  party,  at  the  head  of  whom  were 
canon  Escoiquiz,  the  duke  del  Infantado,  and  Ferdi- 
nand, prince  of  Asturias,  heir  of  the  throne.  The 
scenes  of  dissension  which  filled  the  palace  and  court 
were  scandalous  beyond  all  contemporary  example  ;  and 
the  strength  of  the  two  parties  vibrating  in  the  scale, 
according  as  corrupt  calculators  looked  to  the  extent 
of  Godoy's  present  power,  or  to  the  probability  of  Fer- 
dinand's accession,  the  eyes  of  both  were  turned  to  the 
hazardous  facility  of  striking  a  balance  by  calling  in 
support  from  the  Tuileries.  Napoleon,  on  his  part, 
regarding  the  rival  factions  with  equal  scorn,  flattered 
himself  that,  in  their  common  fears  and  baseness,  he 
should  find  the  means  of  ultimately  reducing  the  whole 
peninsula  to  complete  submission  under  his  own  yoke. 
The  secret  history  of  the  intrigues  of  1807,  between 
the  French  court  and  the  rival  parties  in  Spain,  has 
not  yet  been  clearly  exposed  ;  nor  is  it  likely  to  be  so 
while  most  of  the  chief  agents  survive.  According  to 
Napoleon,  the  first  proposal  for  conquering  Portugal  by 
the  united  arms  of  France  and  Spain,  and  dividing  that 
monarchy  into  three  separate  prizes,  of  which  one 
should  fall  to  the  disposition  of  France,  a  second  to  the 
Spanish  king,  and  a  third  reward  the  personal  exer- 
tions of  Godoy,  came  not  from  him,  but  from  the  Span- 
ish minister.  The  treaty,  in  which  the  unprincipled 
design  took  complete  form,  was  ratified  at  Fontaine- 
bleau  on  the  29th  October,  1807,  and  accompanied  by 
a  convention  which  provided  for  the  immediate  inva- 
sion of  Portugal  by  a  force  of  28,000  French  soldiers, 
under  the  orders  of  Junot,  and  27,000  Spaniards  ; 
while  a  reserve  of  40,000  French  troops  were  to  be  as- 
sembled at  Bayonne,  ready  to  take  the  field  by  the  end 
of  November,  in  case  England  should  land  an  army 
for  the  defence  of  Portugal,  or  the  people  of  that  devo- 


1807.]  INVASION    OF    PORTUGAL.  225 

ted  country  presume  to  meet  Junot  by  a  national  in- 
surrection. 

Junot  forthwith  commenced  his  march  through 
Spain,  where  the  French  soldiery  were  received  every- 
where with  coldness  and  suspicion,  but  nowhere  by  any 
hostile  movement  of  the  people.  He  would  have  halted 
at  Salamanca  to  organize  his  army,  which  consisted 
mostly  of  young  conscripts,  but  Napoleon's  policy  out- 
marched his  general's  schemes,  and  the  troops  were,  in 
consequence  of  a  peremptory  order  from  Paris,  poured 
into  Portugal  in  the  latter  part  of  November.  Godoy's 
contingent  of  Spaniards  appeared  there  also,  and  placed 
themselves  under  Junot's  command.  Their  numbers 
overawed  the  population,  and  they  advanced  unopposed, 
towards  the  capital — Junot's  most  eager  desire  being 
to  secure  the  persons  of  the  prince-regent  and  the  royal 
family.  The  feeble  government,  meantime,  having 
made,  one  by  one,  every  degrading  submission  which 
France  dictated,  having  expelled  the  British  factory 
and  the  British  minister,  confiscated  all  English  prop- 
erty, and  shut  the  ports  against  all  English  vessels,  be- 
came convinced  at  length  that  no  measures  of  sub- 
serviency could  avert  the  doom  which  Napoleon  had 
fulminated.  A  Moniteur,  proclaiming  that  "  the  house 
of  Braganza  had  ceased  to  reign,"  reached  Lisbon. 
The  prince-regent  re-opened  his  communication  with 
the  English  admiral  oft*  the  Tagus  (Sir  Sydney  Smith), 
and  the  lately  expelled  ambassador  (lord  Strangford), 
and  being  assured  of  their  protection,  embarked  on  the 
27th  of  November,  and  sailed  for  the  Brazils  on  the 
2Uth,  only  a  few  hours  before  Junot  made  his  appear- 
ance at  the  gates  of  Lisbon.  The  disgust  with  which 
the  Portuguese  people  regarded  this  flight,  the  cowardly 
termination,  as  they  might  not  unnaturally  regard  it, 
of  a  long  course  of  meanness,  was  eminently  useful  to 
the  invader.  With  the  exception  of  one  trivial  insur- 
rection, when  the  insolent  conqueror  took  down  the 
Portuguese  arms  and  set  up  those  of  Napoleon  in  their 
place,  several  months  passed  in  apparent  tranquillity; 
and  of  these  the  general  made  skilful  use,  in  perfecting 
the  discipline  of  his  conscripts,  improving  the  fortifica- 
15 


226  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1808. 

tionsof  the  coast,  and  making  such  a  disposal  of  his  force 
as  might  best  guard  the  country  from  any  military  dem- 
onstration on  the  part  of  England. 

Napoleon  thus  saw  Portugal  in  his  grasp:  but  that 
he  had  all  along  considered  as  a  point  of  minor  impor- 
tance, and  he  had  accordingly  availed  himself  of  the 
treaty  of  Fontainebleau,  without  waiting  for  any  insur- 
rection of  the  Portuguese,  or  English  debarkation  on 
their  territory.  His  army  of  reserve,  in  number  far 
exceeding  the  40,000  men  named  in'  the  treaty,  had 
already  passed  the  Pyrenees,  in  two  bodies,  under  the 
orders  of  Dupont  and  Moncey,  and  were  advancing 
slowly,  but  steadily,  into  the  heart  of  Spain.  Nay, 
without  even  the  pretext,  of  being  mentioned  in  the 
treaty,  another  French  army  of  12,000,  under  Duhesme, 
had  penetrated  through  the  eastern  Pyrenees,  and 
being  received  as  friends  among  the  unsuspecting  garri- 
sons, obtained  possession  of  Barcelona,  Pampeluna,  St. 
Sebastian,  and  the  other  fortified  places  in  the  north  of 
Spain,  by  a  succession  of  treacherous  artifices,  to 
which  the  history  of  civilized  nations  presents  no  paral- 
lel. The  a»'mies  then  pushed  forward,  arid  the  chief 
roads  leading  from  the  French  frontiers  to  Madrid  were 
entirely  in  their  possession. 

It  seems  impossible  that  such  daring  movements 
not  have  awakened  the  darkest  suspicions  at  Madrid ; 
yet  the  royal  family,  overlooking  the  common  danger 
about  to  overwhelm  them  and  their  country,  continued, 
during  three  eventful  months,  to  waste  what  energies 
they  possessed  in  petty  conspiracies,  domestic  broils, 
and,  incredible  as  the  tale  will  hereafter  appear,  in  the 
meanest  diplomatic  intrigues  with  the  court  of  France. 
The  prince  of  Asturias  solicited  the  honor  of  a  wife 
from  the  house  of  Napoleon.  The  old  king,  or  rather 
Godoy,  invoked  anew  the  assistance  of  the  emperor 
against  the  treasonable,  nay  (for  to  such  extremities 
went  their  mutual  accusations),  the  parricidal  plots  of 
the  heir-apparent.  Bonaparte  listened  to  both  parties, 
vouchsafed  no  direct  answer  to  either,  and  continued 
to  direct  the  onward  movement  of  those  stern  arbiters, 
who  were  ere  long  to  decide  the  question.  A  sudden 


1T508.]  MADRID.  227 

panic  at  length  seized  the  king  or  his  minister,  and  the 
court,  then  at  Aranjuez,  prepared  to  retire  to  Seville, 
and,  sailing  from  thence  to  America,  seek  safety,  after  the 
example  of  the  house  of  Braganza,  in  the  work  of  whose 
European  ruin  they  had  so  lately  been  accomplices. 
The  servants  of  the  prince  of  Asturias,  on  perceiving 
the  preparations  for  this  flight,  commenced  a  tumult,  in 
which  the  populace  of  Aranjuez  readily  joined,  and 
which  was  only  pacified  (for  the  moment)  by  a  royal 
declaration  that  no  flight  was  contemplated.  On  the 
18th  of  March,  the  day  following,  a  scene  of  like  violence 
took  place  in  the  capital  itself.  The  house  of  Godoy  in 
Madrid  was  sacked.  The  favorite  himself  was  assault- 
ed at  Aranjuez,  on  the  19th ;  with  great  difficulty 
saved  his  life  by  the  intervention  of  the  royal  guards ; 
and  was  placed  under  arrest.  Terrified  by  what  he 
saw  at  Aranjuez,  and  heard  from  Madrid,  Charles  IV. 
abdicated  the  throne,  and  on  the  20th,  Ferdinand,  his 
son,  was  proclaimed  king  at  Madrid,  amid  a  tumult  of 
popular  applause.  Murat,  grand  duke  of  Berg,  had  ere 
this  assumed  the  chief  command  of  all  the  French  troops 
in  Spain  ;  and  hearing  of  the  extremities  to  which  the 
court  factions  had  gone,  he  now  moved  rapidly  on 
Madrid,  surrounded  that  capital  with  30,000  troops,  and 
took  possession  of  it  in  person,  at  the  head  of  10,000 
more,  on  the  23d  of  March.  Charles  IV.,  meantime, 
despatched  messengers  both  to  Napoleon  and  to  Murat, 
asserting  that  his  abdication  had  been  involuntary,  and 
invoking  their  assistance  against  his  son.  Ferdinand, 
entering  Madrid  on  the  24th,  found  the  French  general 
in  possession  of  the  capital,  and  in  vain  claimed  his  re- 
cognition as  king.  Murat  accepted  the  sword  of 
Francis  I.,  which,  amid  other  adulations,  Ferdinand  of- 
fered to  him;  but  pertinaciously  declined  taking  any 
part  in  the  decision  of  the  great  question,  which  de- 
manded, as  he  said,  the  fiat  of  Napoleon. 

The  emperor  heard  with  much  regret  of  the  precipi- 
tancy with  which  his  lieutenant  had  occupied  Madrid, 
for  his  clear  mind  had  foreseen  ere  now  the  imminent 
hazard  of  trampling  too  rudely  on  the  jealous  pride  of 
the  Spaniards;  and  the  events  of  the  17th,  18th,  and 


228  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1808 

19th  March  were  well  qualified  to  confirm  his  impres- 
sion, that  though  all  sense  of  dignity  and  decorum 
might  be  extinguished  in  the  court,  the  ancient  ele- 
ments of  national  honor  still  remained,  ready  to  be  call- 
ed into  action,  among  the  body  of  the  people.  He 
therefore  sent  Savary,  in  whose  practised  cunning  and 
duplicity  he  hoped  to  find  a  remedy  for  the  military 
rashness  of  Murat,  to  assume  the  chief  direction  of  af- 
fairs at  Madrid  ;  and  the  rumor  was  actively  spread,  that 
the  emperor  was  about  to  appear  there  in  person  without 
delay. 

Madrid  occupied  and  begirt  by  forty  thousand  armed 
strangers,  his  title  unrecognized  by  Murat/  his  weak 
understanding  and  tumultuous  passions  worked  upon 
incessantly  by  the  malicious  craft  of  Savary,  Ferdinand 
was  at  length  persuaded,  that  his  best  chance  of  secu- 
ring the  aid  and  protection  of  Napoleon  lay  in  advan- 
cing to  meet  him  on  his  way  to  the  capital,  and  striving 
to  gain  his  ear  before  the  emissaries  of  Godoy  should  be 
able  to  fill  it  with  their  reclamations.  Savary  eagerly 
offered  to  accompany  him  on  this  fatal  journey,  which 
began  on  the  10th  of  April.  The  infatuated  Ferdinand 
had  been  taught  to  believe  that  he  should  find  Bona- 
parte at  Burgos ;  not  meeting  him  there,  he  was  tempt- 
ed to  pursue  his  journey  as  far  as  Vittoria ;  and  from 
thence,  in  spite  of  the  populace,  who,  more  sagacious 
than  their  prince,  cut  the  traces  of  his  carriage,  he  was, 
by  a  repetition  of  the  same  treacherous  arguments,  in- 
duced to  proceed,  stage  by  stage,  and  at  length  to  pass 
the  frontier  and  present  himself  at  Bayonne,  where  the 
arbiter  of  his  fate  lay  anxiously  expecting  this  consum- 
mation of  his  almost  incredible  folly.  He  arrived  there 
on  the  20th  of  April,  and  was  received  by  Napoleon 
with  courtesy,  entertained  at  dinner  at  the  imperial 
table,  and  the  same  evening  informed  by  Savary  that 
his  doom  was  sealed — that  the  Bourbon  dynasty  had 
ceased  to  reign  in  Spain,  and  that  his  personal  safety 
must  depend  on  the  readiness  with  which  he  should 
resign  all  his  pretensions  into  the  hands  of  Bonaparte. 

He,  meanwhile,  as  soon  as  he  was  aware  that  Ferdi- 
nand had  actually  set  out  from  Madrid,  had  ordered 


1808.]  RESIGNATION    OF    THE    CROWN.  229 

Murat  to  find  the  means  of  causing  the  old  king,  the 
queen,  and  Godoy  to  repair  also  to  Bayonne  ;  nor  does 
it  appear  that  his  lieutenant  had  any  difficulty  in  per- 
suading these  personages,  that  in  doing  so,  they  should 
adopt  the  course  of  conduct  most  in  accordance  with 
their  interests.  They  reached  Bayonne  on  the  4th  of 
May,  and  Napoleon,  confronting  the  parents  and  the 
son  on  the  5th.  witnessed  a  scene  in  which  the  profli- 
gate rancor  of  their  domestic  feuds  reached  extremi- 
ties hardly  to  have  been  contemplated  by  the  wildest 
imagination.  The  flagitious  queen  did  not,  it  is  said 
and  believed,  hesitate  to  signify  to  her  son  that  the 
king  was  not  his  father — and  this  in  the  presence  of 
that  king  and  of  Napoleon.  Could  crime  justify  crime 
—could  the  fiendish  lusts  and  hatreds  of  a  degenerate 
race  offer  any  excuse  for  the  deliberate  guilt  of  a 
masculine  genius,  the  conduct  of  this  abject  court 
might  have  apologized  for  the  policy,  while  it  perhaps 
tempted  the  pampered  ambition,  of  Napoleon  to  com- 
mence, and  which  it  now  encouraged  him  to  consum- 
mate by  an  act  of  suicidal  violence. 

Charles  IV.  resigned  the  crown  of  Spain  for  himself 
and  his  heirs,  accepting  in  return  from  the  hands  of 
Napoleon  a  safe  retreat  in  Italy,  and  a  splendid  pension. 
Godoy,  who  had  entered  into  the  fatal  negotiation  of 
Fontainebleau,  with  the  hope  and  the  promise  of  an  in- 
dependent sovereignty  carved  out  of  the  Portuguese 
dominions,  was  pensioned  off  in  like  manner,  and  ordered 
to  partake  the  Italian  exile  of  his  patrons.  A  few  days 
afterward,  Ferdinand  VII.,  being  desired  to  choose  at 
length  between  compliance  and  death,  followed  the 
example  of  his  father,  and  executed  a  similar  act  of  res- 
ignation. Napoleon  congratulated  himself  on  having 
added  Spain  arid  the  Indies  to  his  empire,  without  any 
cost  either  of  blood  or  of  treasure;  and  the  French 
people,  dazzled  by  the  apparent  splendor  of  the  acqui- 
sition, overlooked,  if  there  be  any  faith  in  public  ad- 
dresses and  festivals,  the  enormous  guilt  by  which  it 
had  been  achieved. 

Upon  Napoleon's  leaving  Bayonne  for  Paris,  he  re- 
ceived abundant  testimonials  of  the  increasing  favui 


230  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1808 

with  which  he  was  regarded  by  the  French  people. 
They  considered  that  his  recent  negotiations  had  peace- 
fully added  a  vast  kingdom  to  the  empire,  and  accord- 
ingly, wherever  he  went  he  was  met  with  the  full  tide 
of  their  grateful  adulation.  At  Paris  he  was  received 
with  great  rejoicings ;  but  he  had  then  but  little  time 
to  devote  to  festivities.  On  the  21st  of  September,  he 
left  the  capital  and  set  out  to  meet  the  emperor  of 
Russia  at  Erfurth,  ostensibly  to  renew  the  treaty  of 
amity  to  which  they  had  sworn  at  Tilsit.  It  was  a 
matter  of  the  highest  importance  to  Napoleon  that 
Alexander  should,  for  the  present,  keep  the  peace  which 
then  existed  between  Russia  and  France.  His  troubles 
were  already  such  that  the  influence  of  the  czar  might 
have  made  the  scale  preponderate  fearfully  against  him. 
The  affairs  in  Spain  had  already  begun  to  assume  a 
new  and  threatening  appearance.  Austria  was  evi- 
dently looking  only  for  a  favorable  opportunity  of  taking 
up  arms  against  France.  Prussia  was  desirous  to  throw 
off  the  yoke  which  Napoleon  had  imposed  upon  her; 
the  Burschenschafts  were  laboring  zealously  and  effect- 
ually for  the  liberation  of  Germany,  and  Holland  was 
ready  to  take  up  hostilities  at  a  moment's  warning. 
All  this  Napoleon  knew,  and  gave  all  his  efforts  to  dis- 
pel the  blackening  cloud  before  it  should  burst  in  a  re- 
sistless storm  upon  his  head. 

He  reached  Erfurth  on  the  27th  of  September,  and 
found  Alexander  as  tractable  as  at  their  former  inter- 
view at  Tilsit.  The  czar  himself  had  ambitious  designs, 
and  wished  the  assurance  that  his  French  ally  would 
not  interfere  with  his  attempts  upon  Turkey,  Sweden, 
and  Finland.  Napoleon  was  ready  to  promise,  upon 
the  condition  that  his  own  transactions  in  Spain  should 
be  ratified,  and  that  he  should  be  unmolested  in  his 
farther  attempts  to  increase  his  power. 

These  matters  being  settled,  and  the  conference  at 
Erfurth  closed,  Napoleon  made  a  hasty  visit  to  Paris, 
which  he  soon  left  to  superintend  in  person  the  opera- 
tions of  his  army  in  Spain.  The  news  which  he  re- 
ceived from  this  quarter  was  of  almost  uninterrupted 
ill  fortune.  The  transactions  at  Bayonne  had  beeti 


1808.]        HEROISM  OF  THE  SPANIARDS.          231 

repudiated  by  the  great  mass  of  the  Spanish  people. 
All  Spain  was  alive  with  hostility.  In  every  quarter 
of  the  land,  from  Navarre  to  Andalusia,  from  Catalonia 
to  Gallicia,  the  voice  of  opposition  was  swelling  loud 
against  him.  The  notes  of  freedom  were  echoed  from 
every  mountain  and  valley,  hamlet  and  city,  in  tones 
which  would  have  blanched  the  cheek  and  shaken  the 
heroism  of  any  ordinary  invader.  The  Spanish  armies, 
though  driven  from  the  plains,  were  still  unconquered. 
The  Alpine  nests  of  Asturias  ;  the  inaccessible  retreats 
of  Gallicia;  the  rugged  ranges  which  swept  between 
the  Duero  and  the  Guadalquivir  ;  every  mountain  fast- 
ness, from  the  Pyrenees  to  the  Sierra  Nevada,  swarmed 
with  sturdy  and  invincible  defenders.  Joseph  had  been 
driven  from  Madrid.  Toledo  had  risen  in  insurrection 
and  kindled  a  flame  of  patriotic  resentment  against 
France,  which  spread  like  a  conflagration  throughout 
the  Peninsula.  As  though  by  a  simultaneous  impulse, 
the  citizens  of  almost  every  town  in  Spain  were  ridding 
themselves  of  the  French  residents  by  a  terrible  butch- 
ery. In  Cadiz  and  Seville,  in  Carthageiia  and  Valen- 
cia, the  streets  ran  red  with  blood.  The  French  armies 
had  also  met  with  untold  disasters.  After  their  first 
victory*  the  tide  of  battle  had  everywhere  turned 
against  them.  Duhesme  had  been  forced  to  shut  him- 
self up  in  Barcelona  by  the  brave  Catalonian  moun- 
taineers; Moncey,  who  had  attempted  the  siege  of 
Valencia,  had  been  beaten  back  from  its  walls  with 
slaughter  and  disgrace  ;  Dupont  had  been  driven  succes- 
sively from  Jaen  and  Baylen  to  Menjibar,  and  had  at 
last  been  forced  to  surrender  himself  and  his  men  as 
prisoners,  upon  the  most  humiliating  terms.  Lefebvr^ 
had  found  the  indomitable  zeal  of  the  Spaniards  proof 
against  all  his  attempts  upon  Saragossa,  and  had  at  last 
abruptly  abandoned  the  siege.  The  spirit  which  had 
in  days  of  old  lived  in  the  unconquerable  defenders  of 
Nurnantia  and  Saguntum,  seemed  everywhere  to  be 
breathed  again  into  the  breasts  of  their  heroic  descend- 
ants. As  if  the  efforts  and  successes  of  the  Spaniards 
were  not  enough  to  intimidate  the  French  invaders,  a 
*  At  Riosecca. 


232  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1808 

source  of  fresh  anxiety  at  this  time  appeared  in  another 
quarter.  A  heavy  English  force  had  landed  in  the 
Peninsula,  and  was  now  moving  forward  with  rapid 
march  towards  the  scene  of  conflict.  The  advance 
guard  of  the  English  army  had  already  crossed  the 
Guadarrama  mountains,  when  Napoleon  came  down  in 
the  midst  of  the  French  host,  which  lay  encamped  at 
Vittoria.  His  eye  glanced  over  the  whole  state  of 
things,  and  saw  that  not  an  instant  was  to  be  lost.  His 
plan  of  operations  was  immediately  laid,  and,  with  the 
energy  which  his  presence  never  failed  to  inspire,  was 
carried  into  execution  at  once.  The  immense  host, 
which,  in  anticipation  of  his  arrival,  he  had  caused  to 
be  collected  at  Vittoria,  was  instantly  put  in  motion. 
Marshals  Victor  and  Lefebvre,  with  40.000  men,  were 
commanded  to  march  upon  the  Spanish  troops  who 
were  waiting  for  a  junction  with  the  approaching  Eng- 
lish  army,  in  Biscay.  Soult  was  ordered  to  put  tox 
rout  Count  de  Belvidere  in  Estremadura,  while  Napo- 
leon himself,  taking  the  main  strength  of  his  army, 
hastened  with  the  rapidity  and  resistlessness  of  an 
avalanche  against  the  whole  left  wing  of  the  Spanish 
host,  as  it  lay  stretched  from  Bilboa  to  Burgos.  Every- 
where, he  was  successful.  The  Spanish  armies  melted 
away  like  dew  before  him,  and  the  fate  of  all  those 
upon  the  Ebro  was  finally  sealed,  almost  before  the 
English  forces  had  heard  that  Napoleon  had  arrived  in 
Spain.  Following  up  his  successes,  the  emperor.march- 
ed  at  once  upon  Madrid,  which  he  entered  upon  the 
4th  of  December,  after  a  stern  but  ineffectual  resist- 
ance. Leaving  the  capital  he  joined  the  division  under 
Soult,  which  was  in  rapid  pursuit  of  Sir  John  Moore 
and  the  English  army.  Perceiving,  however,  that 
Moore  was  no  longer  worthy  of  his  own  attention,  he 
entrusted  the  consummation  of  his  ruin  to  Soult,  and 
returned  with  his  utmost  haste  to  Paris,  riding  on  post 
horses,  on  one  occasion,  not  less  than  seventy-five  En- 
glish miles  in  five  hours  and  a  half.  The  cause  of  this 
sudden  change  and  extraordinary  haste,  was  a  sufficient 
one  ;  and  it  ere  long  transpired. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

AUSTRIA  DECLARES  WAR — Napoleon  heads  Ins  Army  in  Germany — Bat- 
tles of  Landshut  and  Eckmuhl — Vienna — Battles  of  Asperne  and 
Essling,  and  Wagram — Napoleon  quarrels  with  the  Pope — Treaty 
of  Schoenbrunn — Napoleon  divorces  Josephine — Marries  the  Arch- 
duchess Maria  Louisa — Deposes  Louis  Bonaparte — State  of  the 
Peninsula — Birth  of  the  King  of  Rome — Fouche — Relations  with 
Russia — Military  Preparations — Cardinal  Fesch — War  proclaimed — 
Arrangement  of  the  Armies — Passage  of  the  Niemen — Napoleon  at 
Wilna— A.  D.  1809—1812. 

NAPOLEON  had  foreseen  that  Austria,  hardly  dissem- 
bling her  aversion  to  the  "  continental  system,"  and 
openly  refusing  to  acknowledge  Joseph  as  king  of 
Spain,  would  avail  herself  of  the  insurrection  of  that 
country,  necessarily  followed  by  the  march  of  a  great 
French  army  across  the  Pyrenees,  as  affording'a  favor- 
able opportunity  for  once  more  taking  arms,  in  the  hope 
of  recovering  what  she  had  lost  in  the  campaign  of 
Austerlitz.  His  minister,  Talleyrand,  had,  during  his 
absence,  made  every  effort  to  conciliate  the  emperor 
Francis;  but  the  warlike  preparations  throughout  the 
Austrian  dominions  proceeded  with  increasing  vigor — 
and  Napoleon  received  such  intelligence  ere  he  wit- 
nessed the  retreat  of  Moore,  that  he  immediately  coun- 
termanded the  march  of  such  of  his  troops  as  had  not 
yet  reached  the  Pyrenees, — wrote  (from  Valladolid)  to 
the  princes  of  the  Rhenish  league,  ordering  them  to 
hold  their  contingents  in  readiness — and  travelled  to 
Paris  with  extraordinary  haste.  He  reached  his  capi- 
tal on  the  22d  of  January  ;  renewed  the  negotiations 
with  Vienna  ;  and,  in  the  mean  time,  recruited  and 
concentrated  his  armies  on  the  German  side — thus  ad- 
journing, and  as  it  turned  out,  forever,  the  completion 
of  his  Spanish  conquest. 


234  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1809. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  Austria  declared  war ;  and  on 
the  9th,  the  archduke  Charles  crossed  the  Inn  at  the 
head  of  six  corps,  each  consisting  of  30,000  ;  while  the 
archduke  John  marched  with  two  other  divisions  to- 
wards Italy,  by  the  way  of  Carinthia;  and  the  archduke 
Ferdinand  assumed  the  command  of  a  ninth  corps  in 
Galicia,  to  make  head  against  Russia,  in  case  that 
power  should  be  forced  or  tempted  by  Napoleon  to  take 
part  in  the  struggle.  Napoleon,  having  so  great  an 
army  in  Spain,  could  not  hope  to  oppose  numbers  such 
as  these  to  the  Austrians ;  but  he  trusted  to  the  rapid 
combinations  which  had  so  often  enabled  him  to  baffle 
the  same  enemy ;  and  the  instant  he  ascertained  that 
Bavaria  was  invaded  by  the  archduke  Charles,  he  pro- 
ceeded, without  guards,  without  equipage,  accompa- 
nied solely  by  the  faithful  Josephine,  to  Frankfort,  and 
thence  to  Strasburg.  He  assumed  the  command-  on 
the  13th,  and  immediately  formed  the  plan  of  his  cam- 
paign. 

He  found  the  two  wings  of  his  army,  the  one  under 
Massena,  the  other  under  Davoust,  at  such  a  distance 
from  the  centre  that,  if  the  Austrians  had  seized  the 
opportunity,  the  consequences  might  have  been  fatal. 
On  the  17th  of  April,  he  commanded  Davoust  and 
Massena  to  march  simultaneously  towards  a  position  in 
front,  and  then  pushed  forward  the  centre,  in  person, 
to  the  same  point.  The  archduke  Lewis,  who  com- 
manded two  Austrian  divisions  in  advance,  was  thus 
hemmed  in  unexpectedly  by  three  armies,  moving  at 
once  from  three  different  points ;  defeated  and  driven 
back,  at  Abensberg,  on  the  20th ;  and  utterly  routed, 
at  Landshut,  on  the  21st.  Here  the  archduke  lost  9000 
men,  thirty  guns,  and  all  his  stores. 

Next  day  Bonaparte  executed  a  variety  of  move- 
ments, considered  as  among  the  most  admirable  dis- 
plays of  his  science,  by  means  of  which  he  brought  his 
whole  force,  by  different  routes,  at  one  and  the  same 
moment  upon  the  position  of  the  archduke  Charles 
That  prince  was  strongly  posted  at  Eckmiihl,  with  full 
100,000  men.  Napoleon  charged  him  at  two  in  the 
afternoon  ;  the  battle  was  stern  and  lasted  till  nightfall, 


1809.]  ECKMUIIL VIENNA.  235 

but  it  ended  in  a  complete  overthrow.  The  Austrians, 
besides  their  loss  in  the  field,  left  in  Napoleon's  hands 
20,000  prisoners,  fifteen  colors,  and  the  greater  part  of 
their  artillery  ;  and  retreated  in  utter  disorder  upon 
Ratisbon.  The  archduke  made  an  attempt  to  rally  his 
troops  and  defend  that  city,  on  the  23d  ;  but  the  French 
stormed  the  walls  and  drove  the  Austrians  through  the 
streets;  and  their  general  immediately  retreated  into 
Bohemia :  thus,  in  effect,  abandoning  Vienna  to  the 
mercy  of  his  conqueror. 

Napoleon  was  wounded  in  the  foot  during  the  storm- 
ing of  Ratisbon,  and  for  a  moment  the  troops  crowded 
round  him  in  great  alarm  ;  but  he  scarcely  waited  to 
have  his  wound  dressed,  threw  himself  again  on  horse- 
back, and  restored  confidence  by  riding  along  the 
lines. 

Thus,  in  five  days,  in  spite  of  inferiority  of  numbers, 
and  of  the  unfavorable  manner  in  which  his  lieutenants 
had  distributed  an  inferior  force,  by  the  sole  energy  of 
his  genius  did  the  emperor  triumph  over  the  main, 
force  of  his  opponent. 

He  reviewed  his  army  on  the  24th,  distributing  re- 
wards of  all  sorts  with  a  lavish  hand,  and,  among 
others,  bestowing  the  title  of  duke  of  Eckmiihl  on  Da- 
voust ;  and  forthwith  commenced  his  march  upon 
Vienna.  On  the  9th  he  appeared  before  the  walls  of  the 
capital.  The  emperor  had  already  quitted  it,  with  all 
his  family,  except  his  daughter,  the  archduchess  Maria 
Louisa,  who  was  confined  to  her  chamber  by  illness. 
The  archduke  Maximilian,  with  the  regular  garrison  of 
10,000  men,  evacuated  it  on  Napoleon's  approach  ;  and 
though  the  inhabitants  had  prepared  for  a  vigorous  re- 
sistance, the  bombardment  soon  convinced  them  that 
it  was  hopeless.  It  perhaps  deserves  to  be  mentioned, 
that  on  learning  the  situation  of  the  sick  princess,  Bona- 
parte instantly  commanded  that  no  fire  should  be  direct- 
ed towards  that  part  of  the  town.  On  the  10th  a  ca- 
pitulation was  signed,  and  the  French  troops  took  pos- 
session of  the  city,  and  Napoleon  once  more  established 
his  head-quarters  in  the  imperial  palace  of  Schoen- 
brunn. 


236  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1809. 

He  was,  however,  not  long  at  rest  here.  Various 
popular  movements  against  him  in  Germany  and  Swit- 
zerland could  not  be  regarded  with  indifference  by  him 
who  had  witnessed  and  appreciated  the  character  of 
the  Spanish  insurrection.  The  battle  of  Eckmuhl  had 
indeed  diffused  an  awe  of  his  name  all  over  the  disaf- 
fected provinces,  but  Napoleon  well  knew  that  unless 
he  concluded  the  main  contest  soon,  there  would  be 
enkindled  a  general  flame  from  the  Rhine  to  the  Elbe 
against  him.  He  therefore  desired  fervently  that  the 
Austrian  generalissimo  might  be  tempted  to  quit  the 
fastnesses  of  Bohemia,  and  try  once  more  the  fortune 
of  a  battle. 

The  archduke,  having  re-established  the  order  and 
recruited  the  numbers  of  his  army,  had  anticipated 
these,  wishes  of  his  enemy,  and  was  already  posted  on 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  Danube,  which  river,  being 
greatly  swollen,  and  all  the  bridges  destroyed,  seemed 
to  divide  the  two  camps,  as  by  an  impassable  barrier. 

Napoleon  determined  to  pass  it ;  and  after  an  unsuc- 
cessful attempt  at  Nussdorff,  met  with  better  fortune  at 
Ebersdorff,  where  the  river  is  broad  and  intersected  by 
a  number  of  low  and  woody  islands,  the  largest  of 
which  bears  the  name  of  Lobau.  On  these  islands 
Napoleon  established  the  greater  part  of  his  army,  on 
the  19th  of  May,  and  on  the  following  day  made  good 
his  passage,  by  means  of  a  bridge  of  boats,  to  the  left 
bank  of  the  Danube  ;  where  he  took  possession  of  the 
villages  of  Asperne  and  Essling,  with  so  little  show  of 
opposition,  that  it  became  evident  the  archduke  wished 
the  inevitable  battle  to  take  place  with  the  river  be- 
tween his  enemy  and  Vienna. 

On  the  21st,  at  daybreak,  the  archduke  appeared  on 
a  rising  ground,  separated  from  the  French  position  by 
an  extensive  plain  ;  his  whole  force  divided  into  five 
heavy  columns,  and  protected  by  not  less  than  200 
pieces  of  artillery.  The  battle  began  at  four,  P.  M. 
with  a  furious  assault  on  the  village  of  Asperne ; 
which  was  taken  and  retaken  several  times,  and  re- 
mained at  nightfall  in  the  occupation,  partly  of  Masse- 
na,  and  partly  of  the  assailants,  who  had  establish^ 


1809.]  BATTLE    OF    ASPERNE    AND    ESSLING.  237 

themselves  in  the  church  and  church-yard.  Essling 
sustained  three  attacks  also ;  but  there  the  French 
remained  in  complete  possession.  Night  interrupted 
the  action;  the  Austrians  exulting  in  their'partial  suc- 
cess ;  Napoleon  surprised  that  he  should  not  have  been 
wholly  victorious.  On  either  side  the  carnage  had 
been  terrible,  and  the  pathways  of  the  villages  were 
literally  choked  with  the  dead. 

Next  morning  the  battle  commenced  with  equal 
fury :  the  French  recovered  the  church  of  Asperne ; 
but  the  Austrian  right  wing  renewed  their  assault  on 
that  point  with  more  and  more  vigor,  and  in  such  num- 
bers, that  Napoleon  guessed  the  centre  and  left  had 
been  weakened  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  the 
right.  Upon  this  he  instantly  moved  such  masses,  en 
ediellon,  on  the  Austrian  centre,  that  the  archduke's 
line  was  shaken;  and  for  a  moment  it  seemed  as  if 
victory  was  secure. 

At  this  critical  moment,  by  means  of  Austrian  fire- 
ships  suddenly  sent  down  the  swollen  and  rapid  river, 
the  bridge  connecting  the  island  of  Lobau  with  the 
right  bank  was  wholly  swept  away.  Bonaparte  per- 
ceived that  if  he  wished  to  preserve  his  communica- 
tions with  the  right  of  the  Danube,  where  his  reserve 
still  lay,  he  must  instantly  fall  back  on  Lobau;  and  no 
sooner  did  his  troops  commence  their  backward  move- 
ment than  the  Austrians  recovered  their  order  and  zeal, 
charged  in  turn,  and  finally  made  themselves  master  of 
Asperne.  Essling,  where  Massena  commanded,  held 
firm,  and  under  the  protection  of  that  village  and 
numerous  batteries  erected  near  it,  Napoleon  succeeded 
in  withdrawing  his  whole  force  during  the  night.  On 
the  morning  of  the  23d  the  French  were  cooped  up  in 
Lobau  and  the  adjacent  islands — Asperne,  Essling,  the 
whole  left  bank  of  the  river,  remaining  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Austrians.  On  either  side  a  great  vic- 
tory was  claimed;  and  with  equal  injustice.  But  the 
situation  of  the  French  emperor  was  imminently  haz- 
ardous :  he  was  separated  from  Davoust  and  his  re- 
serve ;  and  had  the  enemy  either  attacked  him  in  the 
islands,  or  passed  the  river  higher  up,  and  so  over 


238  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1809. 

whelmed  Davoust  and  relieved  Vienna,  the  results 
might  have  been  fatal.  But  the  archduke's  loss  in 
these  two  days  had  been  great;  and,  in  place  of  risk- 
ing any  offensive  movement,  he  contented  himself  with 
strengthening  the  position  of  Asperne  and  Essling,  and 
awaiting  quietly  the  moment  when  his  enemy  should 
choose  to  attempt  once  more  the  passage  to  the  left 
bank,  and  the  re-occupation  of  these  hardly-contested 
villages. 

Napoleon  availed  himself  of  this  pause  with  his 
usual  skill.  That  he  had  been  checked  was  true,  and 
that  the  news  would  be  heard  with  enthusiasm  through- 
out Germany  he  well  knew.  It  was  necessary  to  re- 
vive the  tarnished  magic  of  his  name  by  another  deci- 
sive battle  ;  and  he  made  every  exertion  to  prepare  for 
it.  Some  weeks,  however,  elapsed  ere  he  ventured  to 
resume  the  offensive.  On  the  4th  of  July  he  had  at 
last  re-established  thoroughly  his  communication  with 
the  right  bank,  and  arranged  the  means  of  passing  to 
the  left  at  a  point  where  the  archduke  had  made  hardly 
any  preparation  for  receiving  him.  The  Atistrians 
having  rashly  calculated  that  Asperne  and  Essling 
must  needs  be  the  objects  of  the  next  contest  as  of  the 
preceding,  were  taken  almost  unawares  by  his  appear- 
ance in  another  quarter.  They  changed  their  line  on 
the  instant ;  and  occupied  a  position,  the  centre  and 
key  of  which  was  the  little  town  of  Wagram. 

Here,  on  the  6th  of  July,  the  final  and  decisive  bat- 
tle was  fought.  The  archduke  had  extended  his  line 
over  too  wide  a  space  ;  and  this  old  error  enabled  Na- 
poleon to  ruin  him  by  his  old  device  of  pouring  the  full 
shock  of  his  strength  on  the  centre.  The  action  was 
long  and  bloody  :  at  its  close  there  remained  20,000 
prisoners,  besides  all  the  artillery  and  baggage,  in  the 
hands  of  Napoleon.  The  archduke  fled  in  great  con- 
fusion as  far  as  Znaim,  in  Moravia.  The  imperial 
council  perceived  that  further  resistance  was  vain  :  an 
armistice  was  agreed  to  at  Znaim  ;  and  Napoleon,  re- 
turning to  Schoenbrunn,  continued  occupied  with  the 
negotiation  until  October. 

A  few  days  after  he  returned,  he  escaped  narrowly 


1809.]        QUARRELS  WITH  THE  POPE.  239 

the  dagger  of  a  young  man,  who  rushed  upon  him  in 
the  midst  of  all  his  staff,  at  a  grand  review  of  the  im- 
perial guard.  Berthier  and  Rapp  threw  themselves 
upon  him,  and  disarmed  him  at  the  moment  when  his 
knife  was  about  to  enter  the  emperor's  body.  Napo- 
leon demanded  what  motive  had  actuated  the  assassin. 
"  What  injury/'  said  he,  "  have  I  done  to  you  ?"  "  To 
me,  personally,  none,"  answered  the  youth,  "  but  you 
are  the  oppressor  of  my  country,  the  tyrant  of  the 
world  ;  and  to  have  put  you  to  death  would  have  been 
the  highest  glory  of  a  man  of  honor."  This  enthusi- 
astic youth,  by  name  Stabbs,  son  of  a  clergyman  of 
Erfurt,  was — justly,  no  doubt — condemned  to  death, 
and  he  suffered  with  the  calmness  of  a  martyr. 

Bonaparte  led  at  Schoenbrunn  nearly  the  same 
course  of  life  to  which  he  was  accustomed  at  the  Tuil- 
leries  ;  seldom  appearing  in  public  ;  occupied  inces- 
santly with  his  ministers  and  generals.  The  length  to 
which  the  negotiations  with  Austria  were  protracted 
excited  much  wonder ;  but  he  had  other  business  on 
hand  besides  his  treaty  with  the  emperor  Francis,  and 
that  treaty  had  taken  a  very  unexpected  shape. 

It  was  during  his  residence  at  Schoenbrunn  that  a 
quarrel,  of  no  short  standing,  with  the  pope,  reached  its 
crisis.  The  very  language  of  the  consular  concordat 
sufficiently  indicated  the  reluctance  and  pain  with 
which  the  head  of  the  Romish  church  acquiesced  in 
the  arrangements  devised  by  Bonaparte,  for  the  eccle- 
siastical settlement  of  France  ;  and  the  subsequent 
course  of  events,  but  especially  in  Italy  and  in  Spain, 
could  hardly  fail  to  aggravate  those  unpleasant  feelings. 
In  Spain  and  in  Portugal,  the  resistance  to  French 
treachery  and  violence  was  mainly  conducted  by  the 
priesthood  ;  and  the  pope  could  not  contemplate  their 
exertions  without  sympathy  and  favor.  In  Italy,  mean- 
time, the  French  emperor  had  made  himself  master  of 
Naples,  and  of  all  the  territories  lying  to  the  north  of 
the  papal  states  ;  in  a  word,  the  whole  of  that  penin- 
sula w#s  his,  excepting  only  that  narrow  central  stripe 
which  still  acknowledged  the  temporal  sovereignty  of 
the  Roman  pontiff.  This  state  of  tilings  was  necessa- 


240  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1809. 

rily  followed  by  incessant  efforts  on  the  part  of  Napo- 
leon to  procure  from  the  pope  a  hearty  acquiescence 
in  the  system  of  the  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees  ;  and 
thus  far  he  at  length  prevailed.  But  when  he  went  on 
to  demand  that  his  holiness  should  take  an  active  part 
in  the  war  against  England,  he  was  met  by  a  steady 
refusal.  Irritated  by  this  opposition,  and,  perhaps,  still 
more  by  his  suspicion  that  the  patriots  of  the  Spanish 
peninsula  received-  secret  support  from  the  Vatican, 
Bonaparte  did  not  hesitate  to  issue  a  decree  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  :  "  Whereas  the  temporal  sovereign  oi 
Rome  has  refused  to  make  war  against  England,  and 
the  interests  of  the  two  kingdoms  of  Italy  and  Naples 
ought  not  to  be  intercepted  by  a  hostile  power,  and 
whereas  the  donation  of  Charlemagne,  our  illustrious 
predecessor,  of  the  countries  which  form  the  Holy 
See,  was  for  the  good  of  Christianity,  and  not  for  that 
of  the  enemies  of  our  holy  religion,  we,  therefore,  de- 
cree that  the  duchies  of  Urbino,  Ancona,  Macerata, 
and  Camarino  be  forever  united  to  the  kingdom  of 
Italy." 

The  seaports  of  the  papal  territory  were  forthwith 
occupied  by  French  troops,  but  th&  pope  remained  for 
some  time  in  undisturbed  possession  of  Rome  itself. 
On  his  return  from  Spain,  however,  Napoleon  deter- 
mined to  complete  his  work  in  Italy  ere  he  should  be- 
gin the  inevitable  campaign  with  Austria.  General 
Miollis,  therefore,  took  military  possession  of  Rome  in 
February,  1809  ;  the  pope,  however,  still  remaining  in 
the  Vatican,  and  attended  there  as  usual  by  his  own 
guards. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  Napoleon  issued,  from  Vienna, 
his  final  decree,  declaring  the  temporal  sovereignty  of 
the  pope  to  be  wholly  at  an  end,  incorporating  Rome 
with  the  French  empire,  and  declaring  it  to  be  his 
second  city  ;  setting  a  pension  on  the  holy  father  in  his 
spiritual  capacity — and  appointing  a  committee  of  ad- 
ministration for  the  civil  government  of  Rome.  The 
pope,  on  receiving  the  Parisian  senatus-consultum, 
ratifying  this  imperial  rescript,  instantly  fulminated  a 
bull  of  excommunication  against  Napoleon.  Shortly 


1809.]         TREATY  OF  SCHOENBRUNN.  241 

after  some  unauthentic  news  from  Germany  inspired 
new  hopes  into  the  adherents  of  the  holy  father ;  and, 
disturbances  breaking  out,  Miollis,  on  pretence  that  a 
life  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  all  Christians  might  be  en- 
dangered, arrested  the  pope  in  his  palace,  at  midnight, 
and  forthwith  despatched  him,  under  a  strong  escort,  to 
Savona. 

The  intelligence  of  this  decisive  step  reached  Napo- 
leon soon  after  the  battle  of  Wagram,  and  he  was  in- 
clined to  disapprove  of  the  conduct  of  Miollis  as  too 
precipitate.  It  was  now,  however,  impossible  to  re- 
cede ;  the  pope  was  ordered  to  be  conveyed  across  the 
Alps  to  Grenoble.  But  his  reception  there  was  more 
reverential  than  Napoleon  had  anticipated,  and  he  was 
soon  re-conducted  to  Savona. 

This  business  would,  in  any  other  period,  have  been 
sufficient  to  set  all  Catholic  Europe  in  a  flame ;  and 
even  now  Bonaparte  well  knew  that  his  conduct  could 
not  fail  to  nourish  and  support  the  feelings  arrayed 
against  him  openly  in  Spain  and  southern  Germany, 
and  suppressed,  not  extinguished,  in  the  breasts  of  a 
great  party  of  the  French  clergy  at  home.  He  made, 
therefore,  many  efforts  to  procure  from  the  pope  some 
formal  relinquishment  of  his  temporal  claims — but  Pius 
VII.  remained  unshaken ;  and  the  negotiation  at  length 
terminated  in  the  removal  of  his  holiness  to  Fontaine- 
bleau,  where  he  continued  a  prisoner,  though  treated 
personally  with  respect,  and  even  magnificence,  during 
more  than  three  years : — until,  in  the  general  darken- 
ing of  his  own  fortunes,  the  imperial  jailer  was  com- 
pelled to  adopt  another  line  of  conduct. 

The  treaty  with  Austria  was  at  length  signed  at 
Schoenbrunn  on  the  14th  of  October.  The  emperor 
Francis  purchased  peace  by  the  cession  of  Saltzburg, 
and  a  part  of  tipper  Austria,  to  the  confederation  of 
the  Rhine ;  of  part  of  Bohemia  to  the  king  of  Saxony, 
and  of  Cracow  and  western  Galicia  to  the  same  prince, 
as  grand  duke  of  Warsaw;  of  part  of  eastern  Galicia 
to  the  czar ;  and  to  France  herself,  of  Trieste,  Carniola, 
Friuli,  Villach,  and  some  part  of  Croatia  and  Dalmatia. 
By  this  act,  Austria  gave  up  in  all  territory  to  the 

1C  K 


242  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1809. 

amount  of  45,000  square  miles,  and  a  population  of 
nearly  four  millions  ;  and  Napoleon,  besides  gratifying 
his  vassals  and  allies,  had  completed  the  connection  of 
the  kingdom  of  Italy  with  his  Illyrian  possessions, 
obtained  the  whole  coasts  of  the  Adriatic,  and  deprived 
Austria  of  her  last  seaport.  Yet,  when  compared  with 
the  signal  triumphs  of  the  campaign  of  Wagram,  the 
terms  on  which  Napoleon  signed  the  peace  were  uni- 
versally looked  upon  as  remarkable  for  moderation ; 
arid  he  claimed  merit  with  the  emperor  of  Russia  on 
the  score  of  having  spared  Austria  in  deference  to  his 
personal  intercession. 

Bonaparte  quitted  Vienna  on  the  16th  of  October ; 
was  congratulated  by  the  public  bodies  of  Paris,  on  the 
14th  of  November,  as  "  the  greatest  of  heroes,  who 
never  achieved  victories  but  for  the  happiness  of  the 
world ;"  and  soon  after,  by  one  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary steps  of  his  personal  history,  furnished  abundant 
explanations  of  the  motives  which  had  guided  his 
diplomacy  at  Schoenbrunn. 

On  his  return  to  Paris,  Napoleon  proudly  proclaimed 
to  his  senate,  that  no  enemy  opposed  him  throughout 
the  continent  of  Europe — except  only  a  few  fugitive 
bands  of  Spanish  rebels,  and  the  "  English  leopard"  in 
Portugal,  whom  ere  long  he  would  cause  to  be  chased 
into  the  sea.  In  the  mean  time,  the  peninsula  was  too 
insignificant  an  object  to  demand  either  his  own  pres- 
ence, or  much  of  their  concern  :  the  general  welfare  of 
the  empire  called  on  them  to  fix  their  attention  on  a 
subject  of  a  very  different  nature :  namely,  the  situa- 
tion of  the  imperial  family.  "  I  and  my  house/'  said 
Napoleon,  "  will  ever  be  found  ready  to  sacrifice  every- 
thing, even  our  own  dearest  ties  and  feelings,  to  the 
welfare  of  the  French  people." 

This  was  the  first  public  intimation  of  a  measure 
which  had  for  a  considerable  period  occupied  much  of 
Napoleon's  thoughts,  and  which,  regarded  at  the  time 
(almost  universally)  as  the  very  master-stroke  of  his 
policy,  proved  in  the  issue  no  mean  element  of  his  ruin. 

Josephine  had  loved  Napoleon,  and  been  beloved 
nassionately  by  him  in  his  youth.  She  had  shared  his 


1809.]  DIVORCE    OF    JOSEPHINE.  243 

humbler  fortune ;  by  her  connections  in  Paris,  and 
especially  by  her  skilful  conduct  during  his  Egyptian 
expedition,  she  had  most  materially  assisted  him  in  the 
attainment  of  the  sovereign  dignity  ;  she  had  subse- 
quently adorned  his  court,  and  gratified  his  pride  by  the 
elegance  of  her  manners,  and  won  to  herself  the  attach- 
ment of  his  people,  by  her  sincere  good-nature  and 
active  benevolence.  Her  power  over  her  husband  was 
known  to  be  great,  and  no  one  ever  doubted  but  that  it 
had  uniformly  been  exerted  on  the  side  of  mercy.  She 
was  considered  as  the  good  angel  who,  more  frequently 
and  effectually  than  any  influence  besides,  interfered 
to  soothe  the  fierce  passions,  and  temper  the  violent  acts 
of  her  lord.  Her  devotion  to  him  was  perfect :  she 
partook  his  labors  as  far  as  he  would  permit  her  to  do 
so,  submitted  to  all  his  caprices,  and,  with  a  dark  pre- 
sentiment that  his  ambition  would  one  day  cast  her 
aside,  continued  to  centre  the  whole  of  her  existence 
in  the  contemplation  of  his' glory. 

Long  ere  Napoleon  assumed  the  imperial  title,  his 
hopes  of  offspring  from  this  union  were  at  an  end  ;  and, 
at  least  from  the  hour  in  which  his  authority  was  de- 
clared to  be  hereditary,  Josephine  must  have  begun  to 
suspect  that,  in  his  case  also,  the  ties  of  domestic  life 
might  be  sacrificed  to  those  views  of  political  advantage, 
which  had  so  often  dissolved  the  marriages  of  princes. 
For  a  moment  she  seems  to  have  flattered  herself  that 
Napoleon  would  be  contented  to  adopt  her  son :  and 
Eugene  was  indeed  announced  as  the  successor  to  the 
throne  of  Italy,  in  case  his  father-in-law  should  leave 
no  second  son  to  inherit  it.  Louis  Bonaparte  after- 
ward wedded  Hortense  de  Beauhamais,  and  an  infant 
son,  the  only  pledge  of  their  ill-assorted  union,  became 
so  much  the  favorite  of  Napoleon,  that  Josephine,  as 
well  as  others,  regarded  this  boy  as  the  heir  of  France. 
But  the  child  died  early ;  and  the  emperor  began  to 
familiarize  himself  with  the  idea  of  dissolving  his  own 
marriage. 

Thgre  is  now  no  doubt  that,  as  early  as  the  con- 
ferences of  Tilsit,  the  scheme  of  such  a  connection  with 
the  imperial  family  of  Russia  was  broached  ;  and  as 


244  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1809. 

little  that  Alexander  treated  the  proposal  with  coldness, 
in  consequence  of  the  insuperable  aversion  with  which 
the  empress-mother  (a  princess  whose  influence  was 
always  commanding)  persisted  in  regarding  the  charac- 
ter of  Napoleon.  At  Erfurt  this  matter  was  once  more 
touched  upon ;  and  a  second  rejection  of  his  personal 
alliance  was  probably  the  chief  of  not  a  few  incidents 
at  that  meeting,  which  satisfied  Napoleon  as  to  the  un- 
certain condition  of  his  relations  with  the  Russian 
court.  Then,  however,  he  had  abundant  reasons  for 
dissembling  his  displeasure  ;  and  the  pretext  of  diffi- 
culties arising  from  the  difference  of  religion  was  per- 
mitted to  pass. 

Fouche  was  one  of  the  first  to  penetrate  the  secret 
thoughts  of  Bonaparte  ;  and  he,  with  audacity  equal  to 
his  cunning,  ventured  to  take  on  himself  the  dangerous 
office  of  sounding  the  empress  as  to  this  most  delicate 
of  all  subjects.  One  evening,  before  Napoleon  left 
Paris  on  his  unhallowed  expedition  to  Spain,  the  minis- 
ter of  police  drew  Josephine  aside  into  a  corner  of  her 
saloon,  and,  after  a  preface  of  abundant  commonplaces, 
touching  the  necessities  of  the  empire,  and  the  painful 
position  of  the  emperor,  asked  her  in  plain  terms 
whether  she  were  not  capable  of  sacrificing  all  private 
feelings  to  these?  Josephine  heard  him  with  at  least 
the  appearance  of  utter  surprise,  ordered  him  to  quit 
her  presence,  and  went  immediately  to  demand  of  Napo- 
leon whether  the  minister  had  any  authority  for  this 
proceeding.  The  emperor  answered  in  the  negative, 
and  with  high  demonstrations  of  displeasure  :  but  when 
Josephine  went  on  to  ask  the  dismissal  of  Fouche,  as 
the  only  fit  punishment  for  so  great  an  outrage,  he  re- 
fused to  comply.  He  remained  steadfast  in  spite  of  the 
urgencies  and  lamentations  of  an  insulted  woman  ;  and 
from  that  hour  Josephine  must  have  felt  that  her  fate 
was  fixed. 

The  apartments  of  Napoleon  and  those  of  his  wife, 
which  were'  immediately  over  them,  at  the  Tuileries, 
nad  communication  by  means  of  a  private  staircase  ; 
and  it  was  the  custom  of  the  emperor  himself  to  signify, 
by  a  tap  on 'the  door  of  Josephine's  sitting-room,  his 


1809.]  DIVORCE    OF    JOSEPHINE.  245 

desire  to  converse  with  her  in  his  cabinet  below.  In 
the  days  of  their  cordial  union  the  signal  was  often 
made,  most  commonly  in  the  evening,  and  it  was  not 
unusual  for  them  to  remain  shut  up  together  in  con- 
versation for  hours.  Soon  after  his  return  from  Scho- 
enbrunn,  the  ladies  in  attendance  began  to  remark 
that  the  ermoeror's  knock  was  heard  more  frequently 
than  it  had  ever  used  to  be,  that  their  mistress  seemed 
to  listen  for  it  at  certain  hours  with  a  new  and  painful 
anxiety,  and  that  she  did  not  obey  the  signal  with  her 
accustomed  alacrity.  One  evening  Napoleon  surprised 
them  by  carrying  Josephine  in  the  midst  of  them, 
pale,  apparently  lifeless.  She  was  awaking  from  a 
long  swoon,  into  which  she  had  fallen  on  hearing  him 
at  last  pronounce  the  decree  which  terminated  theii 
connection. 

This  was  on  the  5th  of  December.  On  the  15th  the 
emperor  summoned  his  council,  and  announced  to 
them,  that  at  the  expense  of  all  his  personal  feelings, 
he.  devoted  wholly  to  the  welfare  of  the  state,  had  re- 
solved to  separate  himself  from  his  most  dear  consort. 
Josephine  then  appeared  among  them,  and,  not  without 
tears,  expressed  her  acquiescence  in  the  decree.  The 
council,  after  haranguing  the  imperial  spouses  on  the 
nobleness  of  their  mutual  sacrifice,  accepted  and  rati- 
fied the  dissolution  of  the  marriage.  The  title  of  em- 
press was  to  continue  with  Josephine  for  life,  and  a 
pension  of  two  millions  of  francs  (to  which  Napoleon 
afterward  added  a  third  million  from  his  privy  purse), 
was  allotted  to  her.  She  retired  from  the  Tuileries, 
residing  thenceforth  mostly  at  the  villa  of  Malrnaison  ; 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  it  was  signified  that 
Napoleon  had  demanded  the  hand  of  the  archduchess 
Maria  Louisa,  daughter  to  Jlhe  emperor  Francis,  the 
same  youthful  princess  who  has  been  mentioned  as  re- 
maining in  Vienna,  on  account  of  illness,  during  the 
second  occupation  of  that  capital.  This  intelligence  ex- 
plained sufficiently  the  moderation  of  the  French  di- 
plomatists in  the  treaty  of  Schoenbrunn. 

Having  given  her  hand,  at  Vienna,  to  Berthier,  who 
had  the  honor  to  represent  the  person  of  his  master, 


246  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1810. 

the  young  archduchess  came  into  France  in  March, 
1810.  On  the  28th,  as  her  carriage  was  proceeding 
towards  Soissons,  Napoleon  rode  up  to  it,  in  a  plain 
dress,  altogether  unattended:  and,  at  once  breaking 
through  all  the  etiquettes  of  such  occasions,  introduced 
himself  to  his  bride.  She  had  never  seen  his  person 
till  then,  and  it  is  said  that  her  first  exclamation  was, 
"  Your  majesty's  pictures  have  not  done  you  justice." 
Bonaparte  was  at  this  time  forty  years  of  age  ;  his 
countenance  had  acquired  a  certain  fulness,  and  that 
statue-like  calmness  of  expression  with  which  posterity 
will  always  be  familiar';  but  his  figure  betrayed  as  yet 
nothing  more  than  a  tendency  towards  corpulence. 
He  was  considered  as  a  handsomer  man  at  this  period 
than  he  had  been  in  his  earlier  days.  They  spent  the 
evening  at  the  chateau  of  Compiegne,  and  were  re- 
married, on  the  2d  of  April,  at  Paris,  amid  every  cir- 
cumstance of  imperial  splendor.  For  some  time  Na- 
poleon seemed  to  devote  himself  like  a  mere  lover,  to 
me  society  of  his  nevy  partner ;  and  was  really,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  account  at  St.  Helena,  enchanted 
with  the  contrast  which  her  youthful  simplicity  of  char- 
acter and  manners  presented  to  the  finished  and 
elaborate  graces  of  Josephine.  Of  the  uniform  attach- 
ment and  affection  of  both  his  wives,  he  spoke  after- 
ward with  equal  praises.  But  he  in  vain  endeavored 
to  prevail  on  Maria  Louisa  to  make  a  personal  ac- 
quaintance with  her  predecessor;  and  at  length  found 
it  necessary  to  give  up.  his  own  visits  to  Malmaison, 
which  for  a  time  were  not  unfrequent. 

The  emperor's  new  marriage  was  speedily  followed 
by  another  event,  which  showed  how  little  the  ordinary 
ties  and  feelings  of  domestic  life  now  weighed  with 
him  in  the  scale  against  ambition.  His  brother  Louis, 
a  weak  but  benevolent  man,  had  in  vain  been  caution- 
ed by  Napoleon,  on  his  promotion  to  the  Dutch  throne, 
that  in  his  administration  of  this  subaltern  monarchy, 
"  the  first  object  of  his  care  must  ever  be  the  emperor, 
the  second  France,  and  the  third  Holland."  Louis, 
surrounded  by  native  ministers,  men  of  great  talents 
and  experience,  and  enlightened  lovers  of  their  country, 


1810.]  DEPOSITION    OF    LOUIS.  247 

had  his  sympathies  ere  long  enlisted  on  the  side  of 
those  whom  he  might  be  pardoned  for  wishing  to  con- 
sider as  really  his  subjects.  His  queen,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  daughter  of  Josephine,  and  the  favorite  of 
Napoleon,  made  her  court,  as  far  as  she  could,  a  French 
one,  and  was  popularly  regarded  as  heading  the  party 
who  looked  in  all  things  to  the  Tuileries.  The  meek- 
spirited  Louis,  thwarted  by  this  intriguing  woman,  and 
grossly  insulted  by  his  brother,  struggled  for  some  time 
with  the  difficulties  of  his  situation  ;  but  his  patience 
availed  nothing :  his  supposed  connivance  at  the  vio- 
lations of  the  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees,  in  the  same 
proportion  as  it  tended  to  raise  him  more  and  more  in 
the  affections  of  the  Dutch,  fixed  and  heightened  the 
displeasure  of  Napoleon.  He  was  at  length  summoned 
to  Paris,  and  without  a  moment's  hesitation  obeyed. 
On  arriving  there  he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  house 
of  his  mother,  and  next  morning  found  himself  a 
prisoner.  Having  abdicated  his  throne,  Louis  retired 
to  Gratz,  in  Styria,  and  to  that  private  mode  of  life  for 
which  his  character  fitted  him.  On  the  9th  of  July, 
1810,  the  kingdom  of  Holland  was  formally  annexed  to 
the  French  empire ;  Amsterdam  taking  rank  among  the 
cities  next  after  Rome. 

In  pursuance  of  the  same  stern  resolution  to  allow 
no  consideration  to  interfere  with  the  complete  and 
effectual  establishment  of  the  continental  system,  Bona- 
parte shortly  afterward  annexed  the  Hanse  towns, 
Oldenburg,  and  the  whole  sea-coast  of  Germany,  from 
the  frontier  of  Holland  to  that  of  Denmark,  to  the 
French  empire.  The  king  of  Prussia  was  as  yet  in  no 
condition  to  remonstrate  against  this  new  act  of  rapa- 
city :  opposition  from  any  other  German  state  was 
wholly  out  of  the  question. 

The  war,  meanwhile,  continued  without  interruption 
in  the  peninsula :  whither,  but  for  his  marriage,  Napo- 
leon would  certainly  have  repaired  in  person  after  the 
peace  of  Schoenbrunn  left  him  at  ease  on  his  German 
frontier.  Although  the  new  alliance  had  charms 
enough  to  detain  him  in  France,  it  by  no  means  with- 
drew his  attention  from  the  state  of  that  fair  kingdom 


248  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1811. 

which  still  mocked  Joseph  with  the  shadow  of  a  crown. 
In  the  open  field,  indeed,  the  French  appeared  every- 
where triumphant,  except  only  where  the  British  force 
from  Portugal  interfered,  and  in  almost  every  district 
of  Spain  the  fortresses  were  in  their  hands;  yet  the 
spirit  of  the  people  remained  wholly  unsubdued.  The 
invaders  could  not  count  an  inch  of  soil  their  own  be- 
yond their  outposts.  Their  troops  continued  to  be 
harassed  and  thinned  by  the  indomitable  guerillas  or 
partisan  companies  ;  and,  even  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  their  strongest  -garrisons,  the  people  assem- 
bled to  vote  for  representatives  in  the  cortes,  which 
had  at  last  been  summoned  to  meet  in  Cadiz,  there  to 
settle  the  national  government,  during  the  king's  ab- 
sence, on  a  regular  footing. 

On  the  20th  of  April.  1811,  Napoleon's  wishes  were 
crowned  by  the  birth  of  a  son.  The  birth  was  a  diffi- 
cult one,  and  the  nerves  of  the  medical  attendant  were 
shaken.  "  She  is  but  a  woman,"  said  the  emperor, 
who  was  present,  "  treat  her  as  you  would  a  bourgeoise 
of  the  Rue  St.  Denis."  The  accoucheur  at  a  subse- 
quent moment  withdrew  Napoleon  from  the  couch,  and 
demanded  whether,  in  case  one  life  must  be  sacrificed, 
he  should  save  the  mother's  or  the  child's.  "  The 
mother's,"  he  answered  :  "  it  is  her  right !"  At  length 
the  child  appeared,  but  without  any  sign  of  life.  After 
the  lapse  of  some  minutes  a  feeble  cry  was  heard,  and 
Napoleon,  entering  the  antechamber  in  which  the  high 
functionaries  of  the  state  were  assembled,  announced 
the  event  in  these  words  ;  "It  is  a  king  of  Rome." 

The  birth  of  the  heir  of  Napoleon  was  received  with 
as  many  demonstrations  of  loyal  enthusiasm  as  had 
ever  attended  that  of  a  dauphin,  yet,  from  the  light  in 
which  various  parties  of  men  in  France  from  the  begin- 
ning viewed  the  Austrian  alliance,  it  may  be  sufficient- 
ly inferred  that  the  joy  on  this  occasion  was  far  from 
universal.  The  royalists  considered  the  event  as  fatal 
to  the  last  hopes  of  the  Bourbons  :  the  ambitious  gener- 
als despaired  of  any  future  dismemberment  of  the  em- 
pire :  the  old  republicans,  who  had  endured  Bonaparte's 
despotic  power  as  the  progeny  of  the  revolution,  looked 


1810.]  .     BIllTH    OF    THE    KING    OF    ROME.  249 

forward  with  deep  disgust  to  the  rule  of  a  dynasty 
proud  of  sharing  the  blood  of  the  haughtiest  of  all  the 
royal  houses  of  Europe,  and  consequently  more  likely 
to  make  common  cause  with  the  little  band  of  hereditary 
sovereigns  than  with  the  people.  Finally,  the  title, 
"  King  of  Rome,"  put  an  end  to  the  fond  hopes  of  the 
Italians,  who  had  been  taught  by  Napoleon  to  expect 
that,  after  his  death,  their  country  should  possess  a 
government  separate  from  France;  nor  could  the  same 
title  fail  to  excite  some  bitter  feelings  in  the  Austrian 
court,  whose  heir-apparent  under  the  old  empire  had 
been  styled  commonly  "  the  King  of  the  Romans." 
For  the  present,  however,  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
the  event  was  naturally  looked  on  as  adding  much 
strength  to  the  throne  of  Napoleon. 

He,  thus  called  on  to  review  with  new  seriousness 
the  whole  condition  and  prospects  of  his  empire,  ap- 
pears to  have  felt  very  distinctly  that  neither  cou'd  be 
secure,  unless  an  end  were,  by  some  means,  put  to  the 
war  with  England.  However  he.  might  permit  himself 
to  sneer  at  his  great  enemy  in  his  public  addresses  from 
the  throne,  and  in  his  bulletins,  Napoleon  had  too  much 
strength  of  mind  not  to  despise  those  who,  in  any  of 
their  private  communications,  had  the  meanness  to 
affect  acquiescence  in  such  views.  When  Denon 
brought  him,  after  the  battle  of  Wagram,  the  design  of 
a  medal,  representing  an  eagle  strangling  a  leopard, 
Bonaparte  rebuked  and  dismissed  the  flatterer.  "  What," 
said  he,  "  strangling  the  leopard  ?  There  is  not  a  spot 
of  the  sea  on  which  the  eagle  dares  show  himself. 
This  is  base  adulation.  It  would  have  been  nearer  the 
truth  to  represent  the  eagle  as  choked  by  the  leop- 
ard." 

He  sent  a  private-  messenger  to  London  to  ascertain 
from  personal  communication  with  the  marquis  Wel- 
lesley,  then  minister  for  foreign  affairs,  on  what  terms 
the  English  government  would  consent  to  open  a  for- 
mal negotiation  ;  but  this  attempt  was  baffled  by  a  sin- 
gular circumstance.  Fouche,  having  derived  new 
audacity  from  the  results  of  his  extraordinary  conver- 
sation with  Josephine  on  the  subject  of  the  divorce, 


250  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1811. 

had  ventured  to  send  a  dependent  of  his  own  to  Lon- 
don, for  the  purpose  of  sounding  lord  Wellesley  on  the 
question  of  preliminaries  ;  not  doubting  that  could  he 
give  distinct  information  on  this  head  to  his  master, 
without  having  in  any  degree  compromised  the  imperial 
dignity,  the  service  would  be  considered  as  most  valu- 
able. But  lord  Wellesley  beset,  at  the  same  time,  and 
on  the  same  very  delicate  topic,  by  two  different  per- 
sons, neither  of  whom  produced  any  proper  credentials, 
and  who  denied  all  knowledge  of  each  other,  conceived, 
very  naturally,  that  they  were  mere  adventurers,  if  not 
spies,  and  at  once  broke  off  his  communications  with 
both.  Napoleon,  on  discovering  this  intrigue,  summon- 
ed Fouche  to  his  presence.  "  So,  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  find 
you  make  peace  and  war  without  consulting  me."  He 
was  dismissed  from  the  ministry  of  police,  and  sent 
into  an  honorable  banishment,  as  governor  of  Rome. 
This  disgrace  of  Fouche  was  certainly  a  very  unpopu- 
lar measure.  The  immediate  cause  of  it  could  not  be 
divulged,  and  the  minister  was  considered  as  having 
fallen  a  sacrifice  to  the  honesty  of  his  remonstrances 
on  the  Spanish  invasion,  and  the  increased  rigor  of  the 
emperor's  domestic  administration.  It  was  about  this 
time  that,  in  addition  to  the  castle  of  Vincennes,  nine 
new  state-prisons  were  established  in  France  ;  and  the 
number  of  persons  confined  in  these  receptacles,  on 
warrants  signed  by  the  emperor  and  his  slavish  privy 
council,  far  exceeded  those  condemned  to  similar  usage 
in  any  recent  period  of  the  Bourbon  monarchy,  under 
the  lettres  du  cachet  of  the  sovereign.  These  were 
proofs,  not  to  be  mistaken,  of  the  growth  of  political 
disaffection.  In  truth,  the  continental  system,  the 
terrible  waste  of  life  occasioned  by  the  late  campaigns, 
and  the  constant  demands,  both  on  the  treasure  and 
the  blood  of  France,  rendered  necessary  by  the  appa- 
rently interminable  war  in  the  peninsula — these  were 
evils  which  could  not  exist  without  alienating  the  hearts 
of  the  people.  Disaffection  was  secretly,  but  rapidly, 
eating  into  the  heart  of  his  power  ;  and  yet,  as  if  blinded 
to  all  consequences  by  some  angry  infliction  of  Heaven, 


1811.]  RELATIONS    WITH    RUSSIA.  251 

the  insatiable  ambition  of  Napoleon  was  already  tempt- 
ing another  great  foreign  enemy  into  the  field. 

When  the  emperor  of  Russia  was  informed  of  Bona- 
parte's approaching  nuptials  with  the  Austrian  princess, 
his  first  exclamation  was,  "  Then  the  next  thing  will  be 
to  drive  us  back  into  our  forests."  In  truth,  the  con- 
ferences of  Erfurt  had  but  skinned  over  a  wound, 
which  nothing  could  have  cured  but  a  total  alteration 
of  Napoleon's  policy.  The  Russian  nation  suffered  so 
much  from  the  continental  system,  that  the  sovereign 
soon  found  himself  compelled  to  relax  the  decrees 
drawn  up  at  Tilsit  in  the  spirit  of  those  of  Berlin  and 
Milan.  Certain  harbors  were  opened  partially  for  the 
admission  of  colonial  produce,  and  the  export  of  native 
productions ;  and  there  ensued  a  series  of  indignant 
reclamations  on  the  part  of  Napoleon,  and  haughty 
evasions  on  that  of  the  czar,  which,  ere  long,  satisfied 
all  near  observers  that  Russia  would  not  be  slow  to 
avail  herself  of  any  favorable  opportunity  of  once  more 
appealing  to  arms.  The  Spanish  insurrection,  backed 
by  the  victories  which  Wellington  had  recently  gained 
in  the  peninsula,  must  have  roused  alike  the  hope  and 
the  pride  of  a  young  and  ambitious  prince,  placed  at 
the  head  of  so  great  a  nation ;  the  inference  naturally 
drawn  from  Napoleon's  marriage  into  the  house  of 
Austria  was  that  the  whole  power  of  that  monarchy 
would,  henceforth,  act  in  unison  with  his  views, — in 
other  words,  that  were  the  peninsula  once  thoroughly 
subdued,  the  whole  of  western  Europe  would  be  at  his 
command,  for  any  service  he  might  please  to  dictate. 
It  would  have  been  astonishing  if,  under  such  circum- 
stances, the  ministers  of  Alexander  had  not  desired  to 
bring  their  disputes  with  Paris  to  a  close,  ere  Napoleon 
should  have  leisure  to  consummate  the  conquest  of 
Spain. 

During  the  summer  of  1811,  then,  the  relations  of 
these  two  governments  were  becoming  every  day  more 
dubious  ;  and  when  towards  the  close  of  it,  the  emperor 
of  Austria  published  a  rescript,  granting  a  free  passage 
through  his  territories  to  the  troops  of  his  son-in-law, 
England,  ever  watchful  of  the  movements  of  her  great 


252  NAPOLEON    BONAPAR'lto  [1812 

enemy,  perceived  clearly  that  she  was  about  to  have 
an  ally. 

From  the  moment  in  which  the  Russian  government 
began  to  reclaim  seriously  against  certain  parts  of  his 
conduct,  Bonaparte  increased  by  degrees  his  military 
force  in  the  north  of  Germany  and  the  grand  duchy  of 
Warsaw,  and  advanced  considerable  bodies  of  troops 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  czar's  Polish  frontier.  These 
preparations  were  met  by  some  similar  movements  on 
the  other  side  ;  yet,  during  many  months,  the  hope  of 
terminating  the  differences  by  negotiation  was  not 
abcuidoned. 

And,  indeed,  had  there  been  no  cause  of  quarrel  be- 
tween these  two  powers,  except  what  appeared  on  the 
face  of  their  negotiations,  it  is  hardly  to  be  doubted 
that  an  accommodation  might  have  been  effected.  The 
simple  truth  was,  that  the  czar,  from  the  hour  of  Maria 
Louisa's  marriage,  felt  a  perfect  conviction  that  the 
diminution  of  the  Russian  power  in  the  north  of  Europe 
would  form  the  next  great  object  of  Napoleon's  ambi- 
tion. His  subsequent  proceedings,  in  regard  to  Hol- 
land, Oldenburg,  and  other  territories,  and  the  distribu- 
tion of  his  troops  in  Pomerania  and  Poland,  could  not 
fail  to  strengthen  Alexander  in  this  view  of  the  case , 
and,  if  war  must  come,  there  could  be  no  question  as 
to  the  policy  of  bringing  it  on  ere  Austria  had  entirely 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  campaign  of  Wagram. 
and,  above  all,  while  the  peninsula  continued  to  occupy 
200,000  of  Bonaparte's  troops. 

However,  during  several  months  following,  the  ne 
gotiations  between  the  czar  and  Napoleon  continued 
and  more  than  once  there  appeared  considerable  like- 
lihood of  their  finding  an  amicable  termination* 

News  of  reverses  in  the  peninsula  and  the  success 
of  Wellington  were  calculated  to  temper  the  ardor  of 
Bonaparte's  presumption,  and  for  a  moment  he  seems 
to  have  felt  the  necessity  of  bringing  the  affairs  of  the 
peninsula  to  a  point,  ere  he  should  venture  to  involve 
himself  in  another  warfare.  He  in  effect  opened  a 
communication  with  the  English  government,  when 
the  news  of  increasing  disasters  in  Portugal  and  Spain 


1812.]  RELATIONS    WITH    SWEDEN.  253 

pressed  upon  him,  but  ere  the  negotiation  had  proceed- 
ed many  steps,  his  pride  returned  on  him  in  its  original 
obstinacy,  and  the  renewed  demand  that  Joseph  should 
be  recognized  as  king  of  Spain,  abruptly  closed  the  in- 
tercourse of  the  diplomatists. 

His  affairs  in  the  peninsula  were  in  such  a  dubious 
state,  and  all  hope  of  an  accommodation  with  England 
at  an  end,  it  might  have  been  expected  that  Napoleon 
should  have  spared  no  effort  to  accommodate  his  dif- 
ferences with  Russia,  or,  if  a  struggle  must  come,  to 
prepare  for  it  by  placing  his  relations  with  the  other 
powers,  capable  of  interfering  on  one  side  or  the  other, 
on  a  footing  favorable  to  himself.  But  here  also  the 
haughty  temper  which  adversity  itself  could  never 
bend,  formed  an  insurmountable  and  fatal  obstacle.  To 
gain  the  cordial  friendship  of  Sweden,  was  obviously, 
from  the  geographical  position  of  that  country,  and 
the  high  military  talents  of  Bernadotte,*  an  object  of 
the  most  urgent  importance  :  yet  the  crown-prince, 
instead  of  being  treated  with  as  the  head  of  an  inde- 
pendent state,  was  personally  insulted  by  the  French 
resident  at  Stockholm,  who,  in  Bernadotte's  own  lan- 
guage, "demeaned  himself  on  every  occasion  as  if  he 
had  been  a  Roman  proconsul,  dictating  absolutely  in  a 
province."  In  his  anxiety  to  avoid  a  rupture,  Berna- 
dotte at  length  agreed  to  enforce  the  "  continental  sys- 
tem," and  to  proclaim  war  against  England.  But 
these  concessions,  instead  of  producing  good-will,  had 
a  directly  contrary  effect.  England,  considering 
Sweden  as  an  involuntary  enemy,  disdained  to  make 
any  attempt  against  her ;  :and  the  adoption  of  the  anti- 
commercial  edicts  of  Napoleon  was  followed  by  a  mul- 
tiplicity of  collisions  between  the  Swedish  coasters  and 
the  imperial  douaniers,  out  of  which  arose  legal  ques- 
tions without  number.  These,  in  most  cases,  were 
terminated  in  Paris  with  summary  injustice,  and  the 
provocations  and  reclamations  of  Bernadotte  multi- 
plied daily.  'Amazed  that  one  who  had  served  under 
his  banners  should  dare  to  dispute  his  will,  Napoleon 

*  Marshal  Bernadotte  had  been  elected  crown-prince  of  Sweden  by 
the  constitutional  diet  of  that  kingdom,  in  August,  1810. 


254  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

suffered  himself  to  speak  openly  of  causing  Bernadotte 
to  finish  his  Swedish  studies  at  Vincennes.  Nay,  he 
condescended  to  organize  a  conspiracy  for  the  purpose 
of  putting  his  threat  into  execution.  The  crown-prince 
esoaped,  through  the  zeal  of  a  private  friend  at  Paris, 
the  imminent  danger  of  being  carried  off  after  the  fash- 
ioii  of  the  d'Enghiens  and  the  Rumbolds :  and  thence- 
forth his  part  was  fixed. 

On  the  other  flank  of  the  czar's  dominion — his  he- 
reditary enemy,  the  grand  seignor,  was  at  this  time 
actually  at  war  with  him.  Napoleon  had  neglected 
his  relations  with  Constantinople  for  some  years  past; 
but  he  now  perceived  the  importance  of  keeping  this 
quarrel  alive,  and  employed  his  agents  to  stimulate  the 
grand  seignor  to  take  the  field  in  person  at  the  head 
of  100,000  men,  for  the  purpose  of  co-operating  with 
himself  in  a  general  invasion  of  the  Russian  empire. 
But  here  he  encountered  a  new  and  an  unforeseen  diffi- 
culty. Lord  Castlereagh,  the  English  minister  for  for- 
eign affairs,  succeeded  in  convincing  the  Porte  that,  if 
Russia  were  once  subdued,  there  would  remain  no 
power  in  Europe  capable  of  shielding  her  against  the 
universal  ambition  of  Napoleon.  And  wisely  consider- 
ing this  prospective  danger  as  immeasurably  more  im- 
portant than  any  immediate  advantages  which  she 
could  possibly  reap  from  the  humiliation  of  her  eld  rival, 
the  Porte  commenced  negotiations,  which,  exactly  at 
the  most  critical  moment,  ended  in  a  peace  with  Rus- 
sia. 

The  whole  forces  of  Italy — Switzerland,  Bavaria, 
and  the  princes  of  the  Rhehish  league, — including  the 
elector  of  Saxony, — were  at  Napoleon's  disposal.  Den- 
mark hated  England  too  much  to  have  leisure  for  fear 
of  France.  Prussia,  surrounded  and  studded  with 
French  garrisons,  was  more  than  ever  hostile  to 
France;  and  the  king  was  willing,  in  spite  of  all  that 
he  had  suffered,  to  throw  himself  at  once  into  the  arms 
of  Russia.  But  this  must  have  inferred  his  immediate 
and  total  ruin,  unless  the  czar  chose  to  advance  his 
own  armies  at  once  to  his  support  in  Germany.  Such 
a  movement  was  wholly  inconsistent  with  the  plan  of 


1812.]  MILITARY    PREPARATIONS.  255 

operations  contemplated,  in  case  of  a  war  with  France, 
by  the  military  advisers  of  Alexander,  and  Frederick 
William  saw  himself  compelled  to  place  20,000  troops, 
the*  poor  relics  of  his  army,  at  the  disposal  of  Napoleon. 

Austria  was  bound  by  treaty  to  assist  Bonaparte 
with  30,000  men,  whenever  he  chose  to  demand  them : 
but  this  same  treaty  included  Bonaparte's  guarantee 
of  Austria's  Polish  provinces.  Could  he  have  got  rid 
of  this  pledge,  he  distinctly  perceived  the  advantages 
which  he  might  derive  from  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
Poles :  to  proclaim  their  independence  would  have 
been,  he  well  knew,  to  array  a  whole  gallant  nation 
under  his  banners;  and  of  such  objections  to  their  inde- 
pendence as  might  be  started  by  his  own  creature,  the 
grand  duke  of  Warsaw,  he  made  little  account.  But 
Austria  would  not  consent  to  give  up  his  guarantee 
of  Galicia,  unless  he  consented  to  yield  back  the 
Illyrian  territory  which  she  had  lost  at  Schoenbrunn ; 
and  this  was  a  condition  to  which  Napoleon  would  not 
for  a  moment  listen.  He  would  take  whatever  he 
could  gain  by  force  or  by  art ;  he  would  sacrifice  noth- 
ing. The  evil  consequences  of  this  piece  of  obstinacy 
were  twofold.  Austria  remained  an  ally  indeed,  but  at 
best  a  cold  one  ;  arid  the  opportunity  of  placing  the 
whole  of  Poland  in  insurrection  between  him  and  the 
czar  was  forever  lost. 

But  if  Napoleon,  in  the  fulness  of  his  presumption, 
thus  neglected  or  scorned  the  timely  conciliation  of 
foreign  powers — some  of  whom  he  might  have  arrayed 
heartily  on  his  side,  and  others  at  least  retained  neutral 
— he  certainly  omitted  nothing  as  to  the  preparation  of 
the  military  forces  of  his  own  empire.  Ere  yet  all 
hopes  of  an  accommodation  with  St,  Petersburg  were 
at  an  end,  he  demanded  and  obtained  two  new  conscrip- 
tions in  France  ;  and  moreover  established  a  law  by 
which  he  was  enabled  to  call  out  100,000  men  at  a 
time  of  those  whom  the  conscriptions  had  spared,  for 
service  at  home.  This  limitation  of  their  service  he  soon 
disregarded;  and  in  effect  the  new  system — that  of 
the  Ban,  as  he  affected  to  call  it — became  a  mere  ex- 
tension of  the  old  scheme.  The  amount  of  the  French 


256  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812 

army  at  the  period  in  question  (exclusive  of  the  'Ban) 
is  calculated  at  850,000  men  ;  the  army  of  the  king- 
dom of  Italy  mustered  50,000;  that  of  Naples.,  30,000; 
that  of  the  grand  duchy  of  Warsaw,  60,000 ;  the 
Bavarian,  40,000 ;  the  Westphalian,  30,000;  the  Saxon, 
30,000;  Wirtemberg,  15,000;  Baden,  9000;  Saxony, 
30,000 ;  and  the  minor  powers  of  the  Rhenish  league, 
23,000.  Of  these  armies  Napoleon  had  the  entire  con- 
trol. .  In  addition,  Austria  was  bound  to  furnish  him  with 
30,000,  and  Prussia  with  20,000  auxiliaries.  The  sum 
total  is  1,187,000  men.  Deducting  387,000 — a  large  al- 
lowance for  hospitals,  furloughs,  and  incomplete  regi- 
ments— there  remained  800,000  effective  men  at  his  im- 
mediate command.  The  Spanish  peninsula  might  per- 
haps occupy,  even  now,  150,000  ;  but  still  Napoleon  could 
bring  into  the  field  against  Russia,  in  case  all  negotia- 
tion failed,  an  army  of  650,000  men  ;  numbers  such  as 
Alexander  could  have  no  chance  of  equalling  ;  numbers 
such  as  had  never  before  followed  an  European  banner. 
Notwithstanding  all  this  display  of  military  strength, 
the  French  statesmen,  who  had  in  former  days  pos- 
sessed the  highest  place  in  the  emperor's  confidence,  and 
who  had  been  shaken  in  his  favor  by  their  bold  prophe- 
cies of  the  result  o*f  his  attempts  on  Spain  and  Portugal, 
did  not  hesitate  to  come  forward  on  this  new  occasion, 
and  offer  warnings,  for  which  the  course  of  events  in 
the  peninsula  might  have  been  expected  to  procure  a 
patient  hearing.  Talleyrand,  still  in  office,  exhausted 
all  his  efforts  in  vain.  Fouche,  who  on  pretence  of  ill 
health  had  thrown  up  his  Roman  government,  and  was 
now  resident  at  his  country  seat,  near  Paris,  drew  up  a 
memorial,  in  which  the  probable  consequences  of  a 
march  into  Russia  were  detailed  with  masterly  skill 
and  eloquence ;  and  demanded  an  audience  of  the 
emperor,  that  he  might  present  it  in  person.  Napo'eon, 
whose  police  now  watched  no  one  so  closely  as  their 
former  chief,  was  prepared  for  this.  He  received 
Fouche  with  an  air  of  cool  indifference.  "I  am  no 
stranger  to  your  errand,"  said  he.  "The  war  with 
Russia  pleases  you  as  little  as  that  of  Spain."  Foucho 
answered  that  he  hoped  to  be  pardoned  for  having 


1812.]  REMONSTRANCE    OF    FESCH.  257 

drawn  up  some  reflections  on  so  important  a  crisis.  "  It 
is  no  crisis  at  all,"  resumed  Bonaparte,  "  but  a  mere 
war  of  politics.  Spain  falls  whenever  I  have  destroyed 
the  English  influence  at  St.  Petersburg.  I  have  800,- 
000  soldiers  in  readiness ;  with  such  an  army  I  consider 
Europe  as  an  old  prostitute,  who  must  obey  my  pleasure. 
Did  not  you  yourself  once  tell  me  that  the  word  impos- 
sible is  not  French  ?"  It  deserves  to  be  mentioned  that 
neither  this  statesman  nor  any  of  his  brethren,  ever 
even  alluded  to  the  injustice  of  making  war  on  Russia 
for  the  mere  gratification  of  ambition.  Their  argu- 
ments were  all  drawn  from  the  extent  of  Alexander's 
resources — his  400,000  regulars,  and  50,000  Cossacks, 
already  known  to  be  in  arms,  and  the  enormous  popula- 
tion on  which  he  had  the  means  of  drawing  for  recruits  ; 
the  enthusiastic  national  feeling  of  the  Muscovites  ;  the 
distance  of  their  country  ;  the  severity  of  their  climate ; 
the  opportunity  which  such  a  war  would  afford  to 
England  of  urging  her  successes  in  Spain ;  and  the 
chance  of  Germany  rising  in  insurrection  in  case  of 
any  reverses ! 

There  was,  however,  one  person  who  appealed  to  the 
emperor  on  other  grounds.  His  uncle,  the  cardinal 
Fesch,  had  been  greatly  afflicted  by  the  treatment  of 
the  pope,  and  he  contemplated  this  new  war  with  dread, 
as  likely  to  bring  down  the  vengeance  of  heaven  on  the 
head  of  one  who  had  dared  to  trample  on  its  vicegerent. 
He  besought  Napoleon  not  to  provoke  at  once  the 
wrath  of  man,  and  the  fury  of  the  elements ;  and  ex- 
pressed his  belief  that  he  must  one  day  sink  under  the 
weight  of  that  universal  hatred  with  which  his  actions 
were  surrounding  his  throne.  Bonaparte  led  the  church= 
man  to  the  window,  opened  it,  and,  pointing  upwards, 
said,  "  Do  you  see  yonder  star  ?"  "  No,  sire,"  replied 
the  cardinal.  "But  I  see  it,"  answered  Napoleon;  and 
abruptly  dismissed  him. 

Trusting  to  this  star,  on  which  one  spot  of  fatal  dim- 
ness had  already  gathered,  Napoleon,  without  waiting 
for  any  formal  rupture  with  the  Russian  diplomatists 
at  Paris,  now  directed  the  march  of  very  great  bodies 
of  troops  into  Prussia  and  the  grand  duchy  of  Warsaw. 


258  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

Alexander's  minister  was  ordered,  in  the  beginning  of 
April,  to  demand  the  withdrawal  of  these  troops, 
together  with  the  evacuation  of  the  fortresses  in  Pom- 
erania,  in  case  the  French  government  still  enter- 
tained a  wish  to  negotiate.  Bonaparte  instantly  replied 
that  he  was  not  accustomed  to  regulate  the  distribution 
of  his  forces  by  the  suggestions  of  a  foreign  power. 
The  ambassador  demanded  his  passports,  and  quitted 
Paris. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  Napoleon  left  Paris  with  his  em- 
press, and  arrived  on  the  16th  at  Dresden,  where  the 
emperor  of  Austria,  the  kings  of  Prussia,  Naples,  Wir- 
temberg,  and  Westphalia,  and  almost  every  German 
sovereign  of  inferior  rank,  had  been  invited,  or  com- 
manded, to  meet  him.  He  had  sent  to  request  the  czar 
also  to  appear  in  this  brilliant  assemblage,  as  affording 
a  last  chance  of  an  amicable  arrangement ;  but  the 
messenger  could  not  obtain  admission  to  Alexander's 
presence. 

Bonaparte  continued  for  some  days  to  play  the  part 
of  undisputed  master  amid  this  congregation  of  royal- 
ties. He  at  once  assumed  for  himself  and  his  wife 
precedence  over  the  emperor  and  empress  of  Austria  ; 
and  in  the  blaze  of  successive  festivals  the  king  of 
Saxony  appeared  but  as  some  chamberlain,  or  master 
of  the  ceremonies,  to  his  imperious  guest. 

Having  sufficiently  indicated  to  his  allies  and  vassals 
the  conduct  which  they  were  respectively  to  adopt,  in 
case  the  war  should  break  out,  Napoleon,  already 
weary  of -his  splendid  idleness,  sent  on  the  abbe  de 
Pradt  to  Warsaw,  to  prepare  for  his  reception  among 
the  Poles,  dismissed  Maria  Louisa  on  her  return  to 
Paris,  and  broke  up  the  court  in  which  he  had,  for  the 
last  time,  figured  as  "  the  king  of  kings."  Marshal 
Ney,  with  one  great  division  of  the  army,  had  already 
passed  the  Vistula^  Junot,  with  another,  occupied  both 
sides  of  the  Oder.  The  czar  was  known  to  be  at 
Wilna,  his1'  Lithuanian  capital,  there  collecting  the 
forces  of  his  immense  empire,  and  intrusting  the  gen- 
eral arrangements  of  the  approaching  campaign  to 
marshal  Barclay  de  Tolly.  The  season  was  advancing; 


1812.]  WAR    PROCLAIMED.  259 

and  it  was  time  that  the  question  of  peace  or  war 
should  be  forced  to  a  decision. 

Napoleon  arrived  at  Danizic  on  the  7th  of  June; 
and  during  the  fortnight  which  ensued,  it  was  known 
that  the  final  communications  between  him  and  Alex- 
ander were  taking  place.  The  attention  of  mankind 
was  never  more  entirely  fixed  on  one  spot  than  it  was, 
during  these  fourteen  days,  upon  Dantzic.  On  the 
22d,  Bonaparte  broke  silence  in  a  bulletin.  "  Soldiers," 
said  he,  "  Russia  is  dragged  on  by  her  fate :  her  desti- 
ny must  be  accomplished.  Let  us  march  :  let  us  tjross 
the  Niemen :  let  us  carry  war  into  her  territories. 
Our  second  campaign  of  Poland  will  be  as  glorious  as 
our  first :  but  our  second  peace  shall  carry  with  it  its 
own  guarantee:  it  shall  put  an  end  forever  to  that 
haughty  influence  which  Russia  has  exercised  for  fifty 
years  on  the  affairs  of  Europe."  The  address,  in 
which  the*  czar  announced  the  termination  of  his  nego- 
tiations, was  in  afar  different  tone.  After  stating 
the  innumerable  efforts  he  had  made  to  preserve  peace, 
without  losing  for  Russia  the  character  of  an  indepen- 
dent state,  he  invoked  the  aid  of  Almighty  Providence 
as  "  the  witness  and  the  defender  of  the  true  cause  ;" 
and  concluded  in  these  words — "Soldiers,  you  fight 
for  your  religion,  your  liberty,  and  your  native  land. 
Your  emperor  is  among  you ;  and  God  is  the  enemy 
of  the  aggressor." 

The  disposition  of  the  French  army  when  the  cam- 
paign commenced  was  as  follows  : — The  left  wing, 
commanded  by  Macdonald,  and  amounting  to  30,000 
men,  had  orders  to  march  through  Courland,  with  the 
view,  if  possible,  of  outflanking  the  Russian  right,  and 
gaining  possession  of  the  sea-coast,  in  the  direction  of 
Riga.  The  right  wing,  composed  almost  wholly  of  the 
Austrians,  30,000  in  number,  and  commanded  by 
Schwartzenberg,  were  stationed,  on  the  Volhynian 
frontier.  Between  these  moved  the  various  corps 
forming  the  grand  central  army  under  the  general 
superintendence  of  Napoleon  himself,  viz.  those  of  Da- 
voust,  Ney,  the  king  of  Westphalia,  the  viceroy  of  Ita- 
ly, Poniatowski,  Junot,  and  Victor ;  and  in  numbers 


260  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812 

not  falling  below  250,000.  The  communication  of  the 
centre  and  left  was  maintained  by  the  corps  of  Oudi- 
not.  and  that  of  the  centre  and  the  extreme  right  by 
the  corps  of  Regnier,  who  had  with  him  the  Saxon 
auxiliaries  and  the  Polish  legion  of  Dombrovvski.  The 
chief  command  of  the  whole  cavalry  of  the  host  was 
assigned  to  Murat,  king  of  Naples ;  but  he  was  in  per- 
son at  the  head-quarters  of  the  emperor,  having  imme- 
diately under  his  order  three  divisions  of  horse,  those 
of  Grouchy,  Montbrun,  and  Nansouty.  Augereau 
with  his  division  was  to  remain  in  the  north  of  Germa- 
ny, to  overawe  Berlin  and  protect  the  communications 
with  France. 

A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  that  Napoleon's  base 
of  operations  extended  over  full  one  hundred  leagues  ; 
and  that  the  heads  of  his  various  columns  were  so  dis- 
tributed, that  the  Russians  could  not  guess  whether 
St.  Petersburg  or  Moscow  formed  the  main  object  of 
his  march. 

The  Russian  main  army,  under  Barclay  de  Tolly 
himself,  had  its  head-quarters  at  Wilna  ;  and  consisted, 
at  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  of  120,000.  Consid- 
erably to  the  left  lay  "  the  second  army,"  as  it  was  call- 
ed, of  80,000,  under  Bagrathion  ;  with  whom  were 
PlatofF  and  12,000  of  his  Cossacks ;  while,  at  the  ex- 
treme of  that  wing  "the  army  of  Volhynia,"  20,000 
strong,  commanded  by  TormazofF,  watched  Schwart- 
zenberg.  On  the  right  of  Barclay  de  Tolly  was  Wit- 
genstein  with  30,000,  and  between  these  again  and  the 
sea,  the  corps  of  Essen,  not  more  than  10,000  strong. 
Behind  the  whole  line  two  armies  of  reserve  were 
rapidly  forming  at  Novogorod  and  Smolensko;  each, 
probably,  of  about  20,000  men.  The  Russians  actual- 
ly on  the  field  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign  were 
then;  as  nearly  as  can  be  computed,  in  number  260,000 ; 
while  Napoleon  was  prepared  to  cross  the  Niemen  at 
the  head  of  at  least  470,000  men. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  the  grand  imperial  army,  con- 
solidated into  three  masses,  began  their  passage  of  the 
Niemen :  the  king  of  Westphalia  at  Grodno ;  the  vice- 
roy Eugene  at  Pilony,  and  Napoleon  himself  near 


1812.]  PASSAGE    OF    THE    NIEMEN.  261 

Kowno.  The  emperor  rode  on  in  front  of  his  army 
to  reconnoitre  the  banks;  his  horse  stumbled,  and  he 
fell  to  the  ground.  "  A  bad  omen — a  Roman  would 
return,"  exclaimed  some  one  ;  it  is  not  certain  whether 
Bonaparte  himself  or  one  of  his  attendants.  The  first 
party  that  crossed  were  challenged  by  a  single  Cossack. 
"  For  what  purpose,"  said  he,  "  do  you  enter  the  Rus- 
sian country  ?"  "  To  beat  you  and  take  Wilna," 
answered  the  advanced  guard.  The  sentinel  struck 
spurs  into  his  horse,  and  disappeared  in  the  forest. 
There  came  on  at  the  same  moment  a  tremendous 
thunder-storm.  Thus  began  the  fatal  invasion. 

No  opposition  awaited  these  enormous  hosts  as  they 
traversed  the  plains  of  Lithuania.  Alexander  with- 
drew his  armies  deliberately  as  they  advanced.  The 
capital  itself,  Wilna,  was  evacuated  two  days  before 
they  came  in  sight  of  it ;  and  Napoleon  took  up  his 
quarters  there  on  the  28th  of  June.  But  it  was  found 
that  all  the  magazines  which  Bonaparte  had  counted 
on  seizing,  had  been  burnt  before  the  Russians  with- 
drew, and  the  imperial  bulletins  began  already  to  de- 
nounce the  "  barbarous  method"  in  which  the  enemy 
seemed  resolved  to  conduct  his  defence. 

It  was  noticed  in  an  early  part  of  this  narrative  that 
Napoleon's  plan  of  warfare  could  hardly  have  been 
carried  into  execution  on  a  great  scale,  unless  by  per- 
mitting the  troops  to  subsist  on  plunder  ;  and  we  have 
seen  through  how  many  campaigns  the  marauding  sys- 
tem was  adopted  without  producing  any  serious  incon- 
venience to  the  French.  Bonaparte,  however,  had 
learned  from  Spain  and  Portugal  how  difficult  it  is 
for  soldiers  to  find  food  in  these  ways,  provided  the 
population  around  them  be  really  united^  in  hostility 
against  them.  He  had  further  considered  the  vast  dis- 
tance at  which  a  war  with  Russia  must  needs  be  car- 
ried on,  and  the  natural  poverty  of  most  of  the  czar's 
provinces,  and  came  to  the  resolution  of  departing  on 
this  occasion  from  his  old  system.  In  a  word,  months 
before  he  left  Paris,  he  had  given  orders  for  preparing 
immense  quantities  of  provisions  of  all  kinds,  to  be 
conveyed  along  with  his  gigantic  host,  and  render  him 


262  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

independent  of  the  countries  which  might  form  the 
theatre  of  his  operations.  The  destruction  of  the 
magazines  at  Wilna  was  a  sufficient  indication  that  the 
emperor  had  judged  well  in  ordering  his  commissariat 
to  be  placed  on  an  efficient  footing ;  and  his  attention 
was  naturally  directed  to  ascertaining,  ere  he  advanced 
further,  in  how  much  his  directions  as  to  this  matter 
had  been  fulfilled.  He  remained  twenty  days  at  Wilna 
— a  pause  altogether  extraordinary  in  a  Bonapartean 
campaign,  and  which  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  his 
anxiety  on  this  head.  The  result  of  his  inquiries  was 
most  unsatisfactory.  The  prodigious  extent  of  the 
contracts  into  which  his  war-minister  had  entered  was 
adequate  to  the  occasion ;  but  the  movement  of  such 
enormous  trains  of  cattle  and  wagons  as  the.se  con- 
tracts provided  for  must,  under  any  circumstances, 
have  been  tedious,  and  in-some  degree  uncertain.  In 
this  case  they  were  entered  into  either  by  French  tra- 
ders, who,  in  consequence  of  Bonaparte's  own  practice 
in  preceding  campaigns,  could  have  slender  experience 
of  the  method  of  supplying  a  great  army  in  the  field  ; 
by  Germans,  who  regarded  the  French  emperor  as  the 
enemy  of  the  world,  and  served  him  accordingly  with 
reluctance ;  or,  finally,  by  Polish  Jews — a  race  of  in- 
veterate smugglers,  and  consequently  of  inveterate 
swindlers.  The  result  was,  that  after  spending  three 
weeks  at  Wilna,  the  emperor  found  himself  under  the 
necessity,  either  of  laying  aside  his  invasion  for  another 
year,  or  of  urging  it  in  the  face  of  all  the  difficulties 
which  he  had  foreseen,  and,  moreover,  of  that  present- 
ed by  a  commissariat  less  effective  by  two  thirds  than 
he  had  calculated  on. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

RUSSIA  MAKES  PEACE  WITH  ENGLAND,  SWEDEN  ^AND  TURKEY — Internal 
Preparations — Napoleon  loaves  Wilna — Smolensko — Borodino — Na- 
poleon at  Moscow — Constancy  and  Enthusiasm  of  the  Russians — 
Napoleon  quits  Moscow — Battles — Retreat — Repeated  Defeats  and 
Sufferings  of  the  French — Passage  of  the  Beresina — Napoleon  quits 
the  Army — His  Arrival  at  Warsaw — At  Dresden — At  Paris — Con- 
spiracy of  Mallet — Prussia  declares  War — Blucher — Bernadotte-^- 
Campaign  of  Saxony  begins — Battle  of  Bautzen — Armistice-^— Con- 
gress of  Prague.— A.  D.  1812—1813. 

WHILE  Napoleon  was  detained  in  the  capital  of 
Lithuania  by  the  confusion  and  slowness  which  marked 
almost  every  department  of  his  commissariat  at  this 
great  crisis,  the  enemy  employed  the  unexpected  pause 
to  the  best  advantage.  The  czar  signed  treaties  o/ 
strict  alliance  with  England,  Sweden,  and  the  Spanish 
Cortes,  in  the  middle  of  July  ;  and  the  negotiation  with 
Turkey  was  urged,  under  the  mediation  of  England,  so 
effectually,  that  a  peace  with  that  power  also  was  pro- 
claimed early  in  August.  By  these  means  Alexander 
was  enabled  to  withdraw  whatever  troops  he  had  been 
maintaining  on  the  two  flanks  of  his  European  domin- 
ions, and  bring  them  all  to  the,  assistance  of  his  main 
army.  Admiral  Tchichagoff,  at  the  head  of  50,000  sol- 
diers, hitherto  opposed  to  the  Turks  on  the  side  of 
Moldavia,  marched  towards  the  left  wing  of  Barclay 
de  folly's  force ;  and  the  right,  which  had  gradually 
retired  until  it  reached  a  strong  camp  formed  on  the 
river  Dwina,  was  reinforced  from  Finland,  though  not 
so  largely.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  Russian  nation  ap- 
peared in  the  extraordinary  rapidity  with  which  supplies 
of  every  kind  were  poured  at  the  feet  of  the  czar. 
From  every  quarter  he  received  voluntary  offers  of 
men,  of  money,  of  whatever  might  assist  in  the  prose- 


264  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1812. 

cution  of  the  war.  The  grand  duchess,  whose  hand 
Napoleon  had  solicited,  set  the  example  by  raising  a 
regiment  on  her  estate.  Moscow  offered  to  equip  and 
arm  80,000  men.  Platoff,  the  veteran  hetman  of  the 
Cossacks,  promised  his  only  daughter  and  200,000 
rubles  to  the  man  by  whose  hand  Bonaparte  should  fall. 
Noblemen  everywhere  raised  troops,  and  displayed 
their  patriotism  by  serving  in  the  ranks  themselves,  and 
intrusting  the  command  to  experienced  officers,  chosen 
by  the  government.  The  peasantry -participated  in 
the  general  enthusiasm,  and  flocked  in  from  every  prov- 
ince, demanding  arms  a"nd  training.  Two  hundred 
thousand  militia-men  were  called  out,  and  in  separate 
divisions  began  their  march  upon  the  camp. 

Napoleon  having  done  whatever  lay  in  his  power  to 
remedy  the  disorders  of  his  commissariat — and  this, 
after  all,  does  not  appear  to  have  been  much — at  length 
re-appeared  in  the  field.  He  had  now  determined  to 
make  St.  Petersburg  his  mark  :  he  counted  much  on 
the  effects  which  a  triumphal  entry  into  the  capital 
would  produce  throughout  the  country ;  and  the  fleet 
at  Cronstadt  was  in  itself  a  prize  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance. He  directed,  therefore,  all  his  efforts  upon  the 
Dwina,  where  the  Russian  commander-in-chief  had 
now  halted  on  extensive  intrenchments,  and  on  Riga. 
This  town,  however,  was  now  defended,  not  only  by 
Essen,  but  by  the  English  sailors  of  admiral  Martin's 
fleet,  and  resisted  effectually ;  and,  to  the  confusion  of 
Napoleon,  he  was  repelled  in  three  successive  attempts 
to  force  Barclay's  camp  at  Dunaburg. 

He  upon  this  changed  his. plan  of  operations,  and 
resolving  to  march,  not  for  Petersburg,  but  for  Moscow, 
threw  forward  the  centre  of  his  army,  under  Davoust, 
with  the  view  of  turning  Barclay's  position,  and  cutting 
off  his  communication  with  Bagrathion.  That  general 
was  compelled  by  this  movement  to  pass  the  Dnieper 
(or  Borysthenes)  ;  and  Barclay,  on  perceiving  the  ob- 
ject of  Davoust's  march,  broke  up  from  the  camp  on 
the  Dwina,  and  retired  upon  Vitepsk,  where  he  hoped 
to  be  joined  by  Bagrathion.  Davoust,  however,  brought 
Bagrathion  to  action  near  Mohilow,  on  the  23d  of  July  ' 


1812.]          RUSSIANS    KETREAT    TO    SMOLENSKO.  265 

and  as  the  French  remained  in  possession  of  that  town 
at  the  end  of  the  day,  the  Russians  found  themselves 
under  the  necessity  of  altering  the  line  of  tneir  retreat. 
Bagrathion  informed  Barclay  that  he  was  now  march- 
ing, not  on  Vitepsk,  but  on  Smolensko,  and  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  felt  the  necessity  of  abandoning  Vitepsk 
also.  During  three  days  (the  25th,  26th,  and  27th  of 
July),  his  troops  were  engaged  with  the  French  at 
Vitepsk  ;  and,  though  Napoleon's  bulletins  announced 
three  splendid  victories,  the  result  was  that  the  Rus- 
sians left  their  position  in  admirable  order,  and  retired 
altogether  unmolested  on  the  proposed  point  of  junc- 
tion. Meantime,  Regnier,  on  the  right  wing,  and 
Oudinot,  on  the  left,  were  defeated  ;  the  former  by 
Tormazoff,  the  latter  by  Witgenstein,  both  with  severe 
loss.  The^emperor  halted  at  Vitepsk  for  several  days; 
"  his  troops/'  as  the  bulletins  admitted,  "requiring  re- 
freshment." The  Russian  plan  of  defence  was  already 
ascertained — and  alarming.  The  country  was  laid 
utterly  desolate  wherever  they  retired ;  every  village 
was  burned  ere  they  quitted  it ;  the  enthusiastic  peas- 
antry withdrew  with  the  army,  and  swelled  its  ranks. 

Napoleon  quitted  Vitepsk  o*n  the  8th  of  August,  and 
after  a  partial  engagement  at  Krasnoi,  on  the  14th, 
came  in  sight  of  Smolensko  on  the  16th.  The  first 
and  second  armies  of  the  czar  (Bagrathion  having  at 
length  effected  his  junction  with  Barclay)  lay  behind 
the  river  which  flows  at  the  back  of  this  town;  but  it 
was  occupied  in  great  force.  Three  times  did  Bona- 
parte attack  it,  and  three  times  he  was  repulsed.  Du- 
ring the  night  the  garrison  withdrew,  and  joined  the 
army  across  the  river — but  ere  they  went  they  commit- 
ted the  city  to  the  flames,  and,  the  buildings  being 
chiefly  of  wood,  the  conflagration,  according  to  the 
French  bulletin,  "resembled  in  its  fury  an  eruption  of 
Vesuvius."  "  Never,"  continues  the  same  bulletin, 
"was  war  conducted  with  such  inhumanity:  the  Rus- 
sians treat  their  own  country  as  if  it  were  that  of  an 
enemy."  Such  was  indeed  their  resolution.  They 
had  no  desire  that  the  invader  should  establish  himself 
in  winter  quarters  at  Smolensko.  With  the  exception 
12  L 


266  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [181&. 

of  some  trivial  skirmishes,  they  retreated  unmolested 
from  Smolensko  to  Dorogobuz,  and  thence  on  Viasma ; 
halting  at  each  of  these  towns,  and  deliberately  burn- 
ing them  in  the  face  of  the  enemy, 

It  now,  however,  began  to  be  difficult  in  the  extreme 
to  prevail  on  the  Russian  soldiery  to  continue  their  re- 
treat. They  had  consented  to  retire  in  the  beginning 
solely  because  they  were  assured  that  such  was  the 
will  of  their  Father — as  they  affectionately  call  their 
sovereign  ;  but  reinforcements  were  now  joining  them 
daily  from  the  interior,  and  the  skirmishes  which  had 
occurred  had  so  inflamed  their  spirits,  that  it  seemed 
impossible  to  restrain  them  much  longer.  At  this  pe- 
riod, also,  Barclay  was  appointed  to  the  war-ministry 
at  St.  Petersburg,  and  Kutusoff,  who  assumed  the  com- 
mand in  his  stead,  was  disposed  to  doubt  whether  the 
system  of  retreat  had  not  been  far  enough  persisted  in. 
The  new  general  at  length  resolved  to  comply  with  the 
clamorous  entreaties  of  his  troops,  and  fixed  on  a  strong 
position  between  Borodino  ancLMoskwa,  on  the  high- 
road to  Moscow,  where  he  determined  to  await  the 
attack  of  Napoleon.  It  was  at  Gjatz  that  the  emperor 
was  informed  of  KutusofTs  arrival,  and  of  the  univer- 
sal belief  that  the  czar  had  at  length  consented  to  run 
the  hazard  of  a  great  battle.  A  little  further  on  a  Rus- 
sian officer,  on  some  pretext,  appeared  with  a  flag  of 
truce ;  his  real  errand  being,  no  doubt,  to  witness  the 
state  of  the  invader's  camp.  Being  brought  into  Na- 
poleon's presence,  this  man  was  asked,  "  What  he  should 
find  between  Viasma  and  Moscow  ?"  He  answered, 
"  Pultowa." 

On  the  5th  of  September,  Napoleon  came  in  sight  of 
the  position  of  KutusofF.  and  succeeded  in  carrying  a 
redoubt  in  front  of  it.  All  the  6th  the  two  armies  lay 
in  presence  of  each  other,  preparing  for  the  contest. 
The  Russians  were  posted  on  an  elevated  plain  ;  having 
a  wood  on  their  right  flank,  their  left  on  one  of  the 
villages,  and  a  deep  ravine,  the  bed  of  a  small  stream, 
in  their  front.  Extensive  field-works  covered  every 
more  accessible  point  of  this  naturally  very  strong 
ground ;  and  in  the  centre  of  the  whole  line,  "a  gentle 


1812.]  BATTLE  OF  BORODINO.  267 

eminence  was  crowned  by  an  enormous  battery,  serv- 
ing as  a  species  of  citadel.  The  Russian  army  were 
120,000  in  numbers  ;  nor  had  Napoleon  a  greater  force 
in  readiness  for  his  attack.  In  artillery  also  the  armies 
were  equal.  It  is  supposed  that  each  had  500  guns  in 
the  field. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  7th,  the  French 
advanced  under  cover  of  a  thick  fog,  and  assaulted  at 
once  the  centre,  the  right,  and  the  left  of  the  position. 
Such  was  the  impetuosity  of  the  charge  that  they  drove 
the  Russians  from  their  redoubts  ;  but  this  was  but  for 
a  moment.  They  rallied  under  the  very  line  of  their 
enemy's  fire,  and  instantly  re-advanced.  Peasants  who, 
till  that  hour,  had  never  seen  war,  and  who  still  wore 
their  usual  rustic  dress,  distinguished  only  by  a  cross 
sewed  on  it  in  front,  threw  themselves  into  the  thickest 
of  the  combat.  As  they  fell,  others  rushed  on  and 
filled  their  places.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
obstinacy  of  the  contest  from  the  fact,  that  of  one  di- 
vision of  the  Russians  which  mustered  30,000  in  the 
morning,  only  8000  survived.  These  men  had  fought 
in  close  order,  and  unshaken,  under  the  fire  of  eighty 
pieces  of  artillery.  The  result  of  this  terrible  day  was, 
that  Bonaparte  withdrew  his  troops  and  abandoned  all 
hope  of  forcing  his  way  through  the  Russians.  In  no 
contest  by  many  degrees  so  desperate  had  he  hitherto 
been  engaged.  Night  found  either  army  on  the  ground 
they  had  occupied  at  daybreak.  The  number  of  guns 
and  prisoners  taken  by  the  French  and  the  Prussians 
was  about  equal ;  and  of  either  host  there  had  fallen 
not  less  than  40,000  men.  Some  accounts  raise  the 
gross  number  of  the  slain  to  100,000.  Such  was  the 
victory  in  honor  of  which  Napoleon  created  marshal 
Ney  prince  of  Moskwa. 

Bonaparte,  when  advised  by  his  generals,  towards 
the  conclusion  of  the  day,  to  bring  forward  his  own 
guard  and  hazard  one  final  attack  at  their  head,  an- 
swered, "  And  if  my  guard  fail,  what  means  should  I 
have  for  renewing  the  battle  to-morrow  ?"  The  Rus- 
sian commander,  on  the  other  hand,  appears  to  have 
spared  nothing  to  prolong  the  contest.  During  the 


268  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

night  after,  his  cavalry  made  several  attempts  to  break 
into  the  enemy's  lines;  and  it  was  only  on  receiving 
the  reports  of  his  regimental  officers  in  the  morning, 
that  Kutusoff  perceived  the  necessity  of  retiring  until 
he  should  be  farther  recruited.  His  army  was  the 
mainstav  of  his  country ;  on  its  utter  dissolution  his 
master  might  have  found  it  very  difficult  to  form  another, 
but  while  it  remained  perfect  in  its  organization,  the 
patriotic  population  of  the  empire  were  sure  to  fill  up 
readily  every  vacancy  in  its  ranks.  Having  ascertained 
then  the  extent  of  his  loss',  and  buried  his  dead  (among 
whom  was  the  gallant  Bagrathion)  with  great  solemnity, 
— the  Russian  slowly  and  calmly  withdrew  from  his 
intrenchments,  and  marched  on  Mojaisk.  Napoleon 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  be  joined  exactly  at  this  time  by 
two  fresh  divisions  from  Smolensko,  which  nearly  re- 
stored his  muster  to  what  it  had  been  ere  the  battle 
began  ;  and,  thus  reinforced,  commanded  the  pursuit  to 
be  vigorously  urged.  On  the  9th,  the  French  van 
came  in  sight  of  the  Russian  rear  again,  and  Bonaparte 
prepared  for  battle.  But  next  morning  Kutusoff'  had 
masked  his  march  so  effectually,  by  scattering  clouds 
of  Cossacks  in  every  direction  around  the  French,  that 
down  to  the  12th  the  invader  remained  uncertain 
whether  he  had  retreated  on  Kalouga,  or  directly  to  the 
capital.  The  latter  he,  at  length,  found  to  be  the  case  ; 
and  on  the  14th  of  September  Napoleon  reached  the 
Hill  of  Salvation;  so  named  because  from  that  emi- 
nence the  Russian  traveller  obtains  his  first  view  of  the 
ancient  metropolis,  affectionately  called  "Mother  Mos- 
cow," and  hardly  less  sacred  in  his  eyes  than  Jerusalem. 
The  soldiery  beheld  with  joy  and  exultation  the  mag- 
nificent extent  of  the  place ;  its  mixture  of  Gothic 
steeples  and  oriental  domes ;  the  vast  and  splendid 
mansions  of  the  haughty  boyards,  embosomed  in  trees  ; 
and,  high  over  all  the  rest,  the  huge  towers  of  the 
Kremlin,  at  once  the  palace  and  the  citadel  of  the  old 
czars.  The  cry  of  "  Moscow  !  Moscow  !"  ran  through 
the  lines.  Napoleon  himself  reined  in  his  horse  and 
exclaimed,  "  Behold  at  last  that  celebrated  city !"  He 
added,  after  a  brief  pause,  "  It  was  time." 


1812.]  THE    FRENCH    ENTER    MOSCOW.  269 

Bonaparte  had  not  gazed  long  on  this  great  capital 
ere  it  struck  him  as  something  remarkable  that  no 
smoke  issued  from  the  chimneys.  Neither  appeared 
there  any  military  on  the  battlements  of  the  old  walls 
and  towers.  There  reached  him  neither  message  of 
defiance,  nor  any  deputation  of  citizens  to  present 
the  keys  of  their  town,  and  recommend  it  and  them- 
selves to  his  protection.  He  was  yet  marvelling  what 
these  strange  circumstances  could  mean,  when  Murat, 
who  commanded  in  the  van,  and  had  pushed  on  to  the 
gates,  came  back  and  informed  him  that  he  had  held  a 
parley  with  Milarodowitch,  the  general  of  the  Russian 
rear-guard,  and  that,  unless  two  hours  were  granted 
for  the  safe  withdrawing  of  his  troops,  he  would  at  once 
set  fire  to  Moscow.  Napoleon  immediately  granted 
the  armistice.  The  two  hours  elapsed,  and  still  no  pro- 
cession of  nobles  or  magistrates  made  its  appearance. 

On  entering  the  city  the  French  found  it  deserted  by 
all  but  the  very  lowest  and  most  wretched  of  its  vast 
population.  They  soon  spread  themselves  over  its  in- 
numerable streets,  and  commenced  the  work  of  pillage. 
The  magnificent  palaces  of  the  Russian,  boyards,  the 
bazaars  of  the  merchants,  churches,  and  convents,  and 
public  buildings  of  every  description,  swarmed  with 
their  numbers.  The  meanest  soldier  clothed  himself 
in  silk  and' furs,  and  drank  at  his  pleasure  the  costliest 
wines.  Napoleon,  perplexed  at  the  abandonment  of  so 
great  a  city,  had  some  difficulty  in  keeping  together 
30,000  men  under  Murat,  who  followed  Milarodowitch, 
and  watched  the  walls  on  that  side. 

The  emperor,  who  had  retired  to  rest  in  a  suburban 
palace,  was  awakened  at  midnight  by  the  cry  of  fire. 
The  chief  market-place  was  in  flames  ;  and  some  hours 
elapsed  ere  they  could  be  extinguished  by  the  exertions 
of  the  soldiery.  While  the  fire  still  blazed,  Napoleon 
established  his  quarters  in  the  Kremlin,  and  wrote,  by 
that  fatal  light,  a  letter  to  the  czar,  containing  proposals 
for  peace.  The  letter  was  committed  to  a  prisoner  of 
rank  ;  no  answer  ever  reached  Bonaparte. 

Next  morning  found  the  fire  extinguished,  and  the 
French  officers  were  busied  throughout  the  day  in  se- 


270  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812 

houses  for  their  residence.     The  flames,  how- 


. , 

ever,  burst  out  again  as  night  set  in,  and  under  circum- 
stances which  might  well  fill  the  mind  of  the  invaders 
with  astonishment  and  with  alarm.  Various  detached 
parts  of  the  city  appeared  lobe  at  once  on  fire  :  combus- 
tibles and  matches  were  discovered  in  different  places 
as  laid  deliberately  ;  the  water-pipes  were  cut  :  the 
wind  changed  three  times  in  the  course  of  the  night, 
and  the  flames  always  broke  out  again  with  new  vigor 
in  the  quarter  from  which  the  prevailing  breeze  blew 
right  on  the  Kremlin.  It  was  sufficiently  plain  that 
Rostophchin,  governor  of  Moscow,  had  adopted  the 
same  plan  of  resistance  in  which  Smolensko  had  al- 
ready been  sacrificed  ;  and  his  agents,  whenever  they 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  were  massacred  with- 
out mercy. 

The  efforts  to  stop  the  flames  were  all  in  vain,  and 
it  was  not  long  ere  a  raging  sea  of  fire  swept  the  capi- 
tal east,  west,  north  and  south.  During  four  days  the 
conflagration  endured,  and  four  filths  of  the  city  were 
wholly  consumed.  "Palaces  and  temples,"  says  the 
Russian  author,  Karamsin,  "monuments  of  art  and 
miracles  of  luxury,  the  remains  of  ages  long  since  past, 
and  the  creations  of  yesterday,  the  tombs  of  ancestors, 
and  the  cradles  of  children,  were  indiscriminately  de- 
stroyed. Nothing  was  left  of  Moscow  save  the  memo- 
ry of  her  people,  and  their  deep  resolution  to  avenge 
her  fall." 

During  two  days  Napoleon  witnessed  from  the 
Kremlin  the  spread  of  this  fearful  devastation,  and,  in 
spite  of  continual  showers  of  sparks  and  brands,  refused 
to  listen  to  those  who  counselled  retreat.  On  the  third 
night,  the  equinoctial  gale  rose,  the  Kremlin  itself  took 
fire,  and  it  became  doubtful  whether  it  would  be  possi- 
ble for  him  to  withdraw  in  safety  ;  and  then  he  at 
length  rode  out  of  Moscow,  through  street?  in  many 
parts  arched  over  with  flames,  and  buried,  where  this 
was  not  the  case,  in  one  dense  mantle  of  smoke. 
"  These  are,  indeed,  Scythians,"  said  Napoleon.  He 
halted,  and  fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Petrowsky,  a 
country  palace  of  the  czar,  about  a  league  distant. 


1812.]  MOSCOW.  271 

But  he  could  not  withdraw  his  eyes  from  the  rueful 
spectacle  which  the  burning  city  presented,  and  from 
time  to  time  repeated  the  same  words  :  "  This  bodes 
great  misfortune." 

On  the  20th,  the  flames  being  at  length  subdued  or 
exhausted,  Napoleon  returned  to  the  Kremlin,  well 
aware  how  mighty  a  calamity  had  befallen  him,  but 
still  flattering  himself  that  the  resolution  of  the  enemy 
would  give  way  on  learning  the  destruction  of  their 
ancient  and  sacred  metropolis.  The  poor  remains  of 
the  enormous  city  still  furnished  tolerable  lodgings  for 
his  army  :  of  provisions  there  was  as  yet  abundance ; 
and  the  invaders,  like  true  Frenchmen,  fitted  up  a 
theatre,  and  witnessed  plays  acted  by  performers  sent 
from  France  ;  while  the  emperor  himself  exhibited  his 
equanimity  by  dating  a  decree,  regulating  the  affairs 
of  the  Theatre  Francais  at  Paris,  from  "  the  imperial 
head-quarters  in  the  Kremlin." 

Day  passed  after  day  and  still  there  came  no  answer 
from  Alexander  :  Bonaparte's  situation  was  becoming 
hourly  more  difficult.  The  united  army  of  Tormagoff 
and  Tchichagoff,  on  the  south,  and  that  of  Witgen- 
stein,  on  the  north,  had  obtained  decided  advantages 
over  the  French  generals  respectively  opposed  to  them, 
and  now  threatened  to  close  in  between  Napoleon's 
centra]  columns  and  the  magazines  in  Poland.  Wit- 
zengerode  was  at  the  head  of  a  formidable  force  on 
tke  road  to  St.  Petersburg  ;  and  to  the  south-west  of 
Moscow  lay  Kutusoff,  on  a  very  strong  position,  with 
an  army  to  which  every  hour  brought  whole  bands  of 
enthusiastic  recruits.  On  every  side  there  was  dan- 
ger ;  the  whole  forces  of  Russia  appeared  to  be  gather- 
ing round  him.  -  Meantime,  the  season  was  far  ad- 
vanced ;  the  stern  winter  of  the  north  was  at  hand ; 
and  the  determined  hostility  of  the  peasantry  prevented 
the  smallest  supplies  of  provision  from  being  introduced 
into  the  capital.  Had  the  citizens  remained  there,  the 
means  of  subsistence  would  of  course  have  continued 
to  be  forwarded  in  the  usual  methods  from  the  prov- 
inces ;  but  neither  boat  nor  sledge  was  put  in  motion 
after  it  was  known  that  Moscow  contained  no  popula- 


272  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

tion  but  the  French.  The  stores,  at  first  sight  so 
ample,  within  the  city  itself,  had  already  begun  to  fail : 
the  common  soldiers  had  rich  wines  and  liquors  in 
abundance,  but  no  meat  except  horse-flesh,  and  no 
bread.  Daru  gave  the  emperor  what  the  latter  called 
"a  lion's  counsel;"  to  draw  in  all  his  detachments, 
convert  Moscow  into  an  intrenched  camp,  kill  and  salt 
every  horse,  and  trust  to  foraging  parties  for  the  rest — 
in  a  word,  to  lay  aside  all  thoughts  of  keeping  up  com- 
munication with  France  or  Germany,  or  even  Poland  ; 
and  issue  forth  from  Moscow,  with  his  army  entire  and 
refreshed,  in  the  commencement  of  the  spring.  But 
Napoleon  had  excellent  reasons  for  suspecting  that 
were  he  and  his  army  cut  off  from  all  communication, 
during  six  months,  with  what  they  had  left  behind 
them,  the  Prussians,  the  Austrians,  his  Rhenish  vassals 
themselves,  might  throw  off  the  yoke  :  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  Russians  could  hardly  fail,  in  the 
course  of  so  many  months,  to  accumulate,  in  their  own 
country,  a  force  before  which  his  isolated  army,  on  re- 
issuing from  their  winter  quarters,  would  appear  a 
mere  speck. 

Napoleon  at  length  sent  count  Lauriston  to  the 
head-quarters  of  Kutusoff,  with  another  letter  to  Alex- 
ander, which  the  count  was  to  deliver  in  person.  Ku- 
tusoff received  the  Frenchman  in  the  midst  of  all  his 
generals,  and  answered  with  such  civility  that  the  en- 
voy doubted  not  of  success.  The  end,  however,  was, 
that  the  Russian  professed  himself  altogether  unable  to 
entertain  any  negotiation,  or  even  to  sanction  the 
journey  of  any  French  messenger — such  being,  he 
said,  the  last  and  most  express  orders  of  his  prince.  He 
offered  to  send  on  Napoleon's  letter  to  St.  Petersburg 
by  one  of  his  own  aides-de-camp  ;  and  to  this  Lauris- 
ton was  obliged  to  agree.  This  interview  occurred  on 
the  6th  of  October :  no  answer  from  St.  Petersburg 
could  be  expected  sooner  than  the  26th.  There  had 
already  been  one  fall  of  snow.  To  retreat,  after  having 
a  second  time  written  to  the  czar,  would  appear  like 
the  confession  of  inability  to  remain.  The  difficulties 
and  dangers  attendant  on  a  longer  sojourn  in  the 


1812. j  MURAT'S  ARMISTICE.  273 

ruined  capital  have  already  been  mentioned;  and  they 
were  increasing  with  fearful  rapidity  every  hour.  It 
was  under  such  circumstances  that  Napoleon  lingered 
on  in  the  Kremlin  until  the  19th  of  October;  and  it 
seems  probable  that  he  would  have  lingered  even  more 
days  there,  had  he  not  received  the  tidings  of  a  new 
reverse,  n$ar  at  hand,  and  which  effectually  stirred 
him.  His  attendants  have  not  hesitated  to  say,  that 
from  the  time  when  he  entered  Russia,  his  mind  had 
seemed  to  be  in  a  state  of  indecision  and  lethargy, 
when  compared  with  what  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  witness  in  previous  campaigns.  From  this  hour  his 
decision  and  activity  (if  indeed  they  had  ever  been 
obscured)  appear  to  have  been  displayed  abundantly. 

Murat  had,  without  Napoleon's  command,  and  in- 
deed in  opposition  to  his  wishes,  established  a  strange 
species  of  armistice  with  Kutusoff,  under  articles 
which  provided  that  three  hours'  notice  must  precede 
any  regular  affair  between  the  two  armies  confronted 
to  each  other,  but  allowed  the  petty  warfare  of  the 
Cossacks  and  other  light  troops  to  proceed  without  in- 
terruption on  either  flank.  This  suited  Kutusoff's 
purpose ;  for  it  in  effect  left  him  in  full  possession  of 
the  means  to  avoid  a  general  action  until  he  chose  to 
hazard  one,  and  yet  offered  no  interruption  to  the 
measures  by  which  he  and  his  nation  were  deliberately 
and  systematically  straitening  the  supplies  of  the  in- 
vader. Napoleon  alleged  that  Murat  had  entered  on 
the  compact  from  the  desire  of  gratifying  his  own  van- 
ity, by  galloping  about  on  a  neutral  ground,  and  at- 
tracting the  admiration  of  both  armies,  but  especially 
of  the  Cossacks,  by  his  horsemanship,  and  the  brilliant, 
if  not  fantastic,  dresses  in  which  it  was  at  all  times  his 
delight  to  exhibit  his  fine  person.  But  king  Joachim 
never  displayed  his  foppery  so  willingly  as  on  the  field 
of  battle :  he  committed  only,  on  a  smaller  scale,  the 
same  error  which  detained  his  master  in  the  Kremlin. 

The  armistice,  such  as  it  was,  between  Joachim  and 
Kutusoff,  was  broken  through  as  soon  as  the  latter  had 
sufficiently  disciplined  the  new  recruits  who  had  crowd- 
ed to  his  standard  from  every  region  of  the  empire 

18 


274  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

Murat  then  received  considerable  reinforcements  from 
Moscow,  together  with  Napoleon's  commands  to  gain 
possession,  if  possible,  of  one  of  the  roads  leading  to 
Kalouga.  There,  and  at  Toula,  the  chief  magazines 
of  the  Russian  army  were  known  to  be  established ; 
and,  moreover,  by  retiring  in  that  direction  towards 
Poland  (should  a  retreat  finally  be  found  necessary), 
Napoleon  counted  on  the  additional  and  far  greater  ad- 
vantage of  traversing  a  country  hitherto  unwasted. 

Murat,  accordingly,  pushed  his  light  troops  over  a 
new  district;  and  had  the  mortification  to  find  the 
Russian  system  of  defence  persevered  in  wherever  he 
advanced.  The  splendid  country  house  of  Rostoph- 
chin  was  burned  to  the  ground,  ere  the  French  reached 
it ;  and  the  following  letter,  affixed  to  its  gates,  breath- 
ed the  same  spirit  which  had  dared  to  sacrifice  Mos- 
cow : — "  I  have  for  eight  years  embellished  this  resi- 
dence, and  lived  happily  in  it  with  my  family.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  estate,  in  number  1720,  quit  it  at 
four  approach  ;  and  I  set  fire  to  my  house,  thiit  it  may 
aot  be  polluted  with  your  presence." 

Kutusoff  was  no  longer  disposed  to  witness  in  inac- 
tion the  progress  of  Murat.  He  divined  that  Napoleon 
must  at  last  be  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  abandon- 
ing Moscow,  and  determined  that  at  all  events  he 
should  not  make  his  retreat  in  the  direction  of  Kalouga. 
General  Bennigsen  was  ordered  to  attack  Murat,  on 
the  18th  October,  at  Vincovo:  the  result  was  decidedly 
in  favor  of  the  Russians,  in  whose  hands  there  remain- 
ed nearly  3000  prisoners,  and  forty  pieces  of  artillery. 
The  cannonade  was  heard  at  the  Kremlin  ;  and  no 
sooner  did  the  issue  of  the  day  reach  Napoleon,  than 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  march  his  whole  army  to  the 
support  of  the  king  of  Naples.  That  same  evening, 
several  divisions  were  put  in  motion;  he  himself,  at 
the  head  of  others,  left  Moscow  on  the  19th  ;  and  the 
metropolis  was  wholly  evacuated  on  the  morning  of 
the  22d. 

Kutusoff  now  perceived  that  he  had  to  expect  the 
attack  of  a  greater  than  Murat.  The  Russian  general 
occupied  a  position  at  Taroutino,  on  the  old  road  to 


1812.]  BATTLE    OF    MALO-YARASLOVETZ.  275 

Kalouga  (the  central  one  of  three  nearly  parallel 
routes),  so  strong  by  nature,  and  so  improved  by  art, 
that  Napoleon  judged  it  hopeless  to  attack  him  there. 
He  therefore  made  a  lateral  movement,  and  pushed  on 
by  the  western  road,  meaning,  after  he  had  passed 
Taroutino,  to  strike  back  again  into  the  central  one, 
and  so  interpose  himself  between  KutusofF  and  Ka- 
louga. The  old  Russian,  however,  penetrated  this  plan  ; 
and  instantly,  by  a  manoeuvre  of  precisely  the  same 
kind — marching  to  the  eastward,  and  thence  back  to 
centre  again, — baffled  it.  The  French  van,  having 
executed  the  first  part  of  their  orders,  and  regained  the 
middle  road  in  the  rear  of  Taroutino,  advanced  without 
opposition  as  far  as  Malo-Yaraslovetz,  and  occupied 
that  town.  But  at  midnight  they  were  assaulted  furi- 
ously within  it,  and  driven  back  across  the  river  Louja, 
where  the  leading  divisions  of  the  army  bivouacked. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  French  retook  Malo-Yaras- 
lovetz at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  day  was  spent  in  a  succession  of  obstinate  con- 
tests, in  the  course  of  which  the  town  five  times 
changed  masters.  In  the  evening,  Napoleon  came  up 
with  his  main  body.  He  found  his  troops,  indeed,  in 
possession  of  the  place ;  but  beyond  it,  his  generals 
informed  him,  KutusofF  and  his  whole  army  were 
now  posted,  and  this  on  a  position  at  least  as  strong 
as  that  of  Taroutino,  which  he  himself  had  considered 
unassailable. 

At  daybreak  he  passed  the  Louja,  with  a  few  atten- 
dants, for  the  purpose  of  reconnoitring  KutusofF's 
position.  He  had  scarcely  crossed  the  bridge,  when  a 
party  of  PlatofF's  Cossacks,  galloping  furiously,  and 
sweeping  some  scattered  companies  of  the  French  be- 
fore them,  came  full  upon  the  emperor  and  his  suite. 
Napoleon  was  urged  to  seek  safety  in  flight ;  but  he 
irew  his  sword  and  took  post  on  the  bank  by  the  way- 
lide.  The  wild  spearmen,  intent  on  booty,  plunged  on 
immediately  below  him,  and  after  stripping  some  sol- 
diers, retired  again  at  full  speed  to  their  pulk,  without 
having  observed  the  inestimable  prize.  The  emperor 
watched  th>ir  retreat,  and  continued  his  reconnois- 


276  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

sance.      It   satisfied    him   that   Davoust    had    judged 
rightly. 

He  made  another  effort  to  force  a  passage  south- 
wards at  Medyn  ;  but  here  also  he  was  repelled,  and 
forced  to  abandon  the  attempt.  .Meantime,  the  army 
which  had  occupied  Moscow  began  to  send  forth  its 
Cossacks  on  his  rear.  In  a  word,  it  became  apparent 
that  if  the  retreat  were  to  be  urged,  it  must  now  be  in 
the  direction  of  Verreia  and  Smolensko;  that  is,  through 
the  same  provinces  which  had  been  entirely  wasted  in 
the  earlier  part  of  the  campaign. 

On  the  28th  of  October,  Napoleon  himself,  with  6000 
chosen  horse,  began  his  journey  towards  Smolensko  ; 
the  care  of  bringing  up  the  main  body  being  given  to 
Beauharnais,  while  Ney  commanded  the  rear.  From 
the  commencement  of  this  march,  hardly  a  day  elapsed 
in  which  some  new  calamity  did  not  befall  those  hither- 
to invincible  legions.  The  Cossacks  of  Platoff  came 
on  one  division  at  Kolotsk,  near  Borodino,  on  the  1st 
of  November,  and  gave  them  a  total  defeat.  A  second 
division  was  attacked  on  the  day  after,  and  with  nearly 
equal  success,  by  the  irregular  troops  of  count  Orloff 
Denizoff.  On  the  3d,  Milarodowitch  reached  the  mair 
road  near  Viasma,  and  after  routing  Ney,  Davoust, 
and  Beauharnais,  drove  them  through  the  town,  which 
he  entered  with  drums  beating  and  colors  flying,  and 
making  a  passage  for  the  rest  of  the  army  over  the 
dead  bodies  of  the  enemy.  Beauharnais,  after  this, 
separated  his  division  from  the  rest,  and  endeavored  to 
push  for  Vitepsk,  by  the  way  of  Douchowtchina.  and 
PlatofF  followed  him,  while  Milarodowitch  continued 
the  pursuit  on  the  main  road.  The  separation  of 
troops  so  pressed  is  a  sufficient  proof  that  they  were 
already  suffering  severely  for  want  of  food ;  but  their 
miseries  were  about  to  be  heightened  by  the  arrival  of 
a  new  enemy.  On  the  6th  of  November,  the  Russian 
winter  fairly  set  in  ;  and  thenceforth,  between  the 
heavy  columns  of  regular  troops  which  on  every  side 
watched  and  threatened  them,  the  continual  assaults 
of  the  Cossacks,  who  hung  around  them  in  clouds  by 
day  and  by  night,  rushing  on  every  detached  party, 


1812.]  RETREAT    OF    THE    FRENCH.  277 

disturbing  every  bivouac,  breaking  up  bridges  before, 
and  destroying  every  straggler  behind  them,  and  the 
terrible  severity  of  the  climate,  the  frost,  the  snow,  the 
wind — the  sufferings  of  this  once  magnificent  army 
were  such  as  to  baffle  all  description. 

The  accounts  of  the  Russian  authorities,  of  the 
French  eye-witnesses  who  have  since  told  this  story, 
and,  it  must  be  added,  of  Napoleon's  own  celebrated 
"  twenty-ninth  bulletin,"  are  in  harmony  with  each 
other.  The  enormous  train  of  artillery  which  Napo- 
leon had  insisted  on  bringing  away  from  Moscow  was 
soon  diminished ;  and  the  roads  were  blocked  up  with 
the  spoils  of  the  city,  abandoned  of  necessity  as  the 
means  of  transport  failed.  The  horses  having  been  ill 
fed  for  months,  were  altogether  unable  to  resist  the 
united  effects  of  cold  and  fatigue.  They  sank  and 
stiffened  by  hundreds  and  by  thousands.  The  starving 
soldiery  slew  others  of  these  animals,  that  they  might 
drink  their  warm  blood,  and  wrap  themselves  in  their 
yet  reeking  skins.  The  discipline  of  these  miserable 
bands  vanished.  Ney  was  indeed  able  to  keep  to- 
gether some  battalions  of  the  rear-guard,  and  present  a 
bold  aspect  to  the  pursuers — the  marshal  himself  not 
disdaining  to  bear  a  firelock,  and  share  the  meanest 
fatigues  of  his  followers;  but  elsewhere  there  remained 
hardly  the  shadow  of  military  order.  Small  and  de- 
tached bodies  of  men  moved,  like  soldiers,  on  the  high- 
way— the  immense  majority  dispersed  themselves  over 
the  ice  and  snow  which  equalized  the  surface  of  the 
fields  on  either  side,  and  there  sustained  from  time  to 
time  the  rapid  and  merciless  charge  of  the  Cossacks. 

Beauharnais,  meantime,  discovered,  ere  he  had  ad- 
vanced far  on  his  separate  route,  that  Witgenstein, 
having  defeated  successively  St..  Cyr  and  Victor  on 
the  Dwina,  was  already  in  possession  of  Vitepsk.  The 
viceroy  therefore  was  compelled  to  turn  back  towards 
the  Smolensko  road.  Platoff  turned  with  him,  and 
brought  him  once  more  to  action,  "killing  many,"  said 
the  hetman's  despatch,  "  but  making  few  prisoners." 
The  army  of  Italy,  if  it  could  still  be  called  an  army, 
mingled  with  the  few  troops  who  still  preserved  some 


278  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

show  of  order  under  Ney,  ere  they  came  in  sight  of 
Smolensko,  and  communicated  to  them  their  own  terror 
and  confusion. 

Meanwhile,  the  Russian  "army  of  Volhynia,"  after 
it  was  strengthened  by  the  arrival  of  Tchichagofffrom 
the  Danube,  had  been  able  to  bear  down  all  the  oppo- 
sition of  Schwartzenberg  and  Regnier ;  had  driven 
their  forces  before  them,  and  taken  possession  of  Napo- 
leon's great  depot,  Minsk,  from  which  they  might  hope 
ere  long  to  communicate  with  Witgenstein.  The 
armies  of  Witgenstein  and  TchichagofF  then  were  about 
to  be  in  communication  with  each  other,  and  in  pos- 
session of  those  points  at  which  Napoleon  was  most 
likely  to  attempt  his  escape  from  Smolensko  into  Po- 
land ;  while  the  main  army  itself,  having  advanced 
side  by  side  with  the  French,  was  now  stationed  to  the 
south-west  of  Smolensko,  in  readiness  to  break  the 
enemy's  march  whenever  Kutusoff  should  choose : 
Milarodowitch,  finally,  and  PlatofF,  were  hanging  close 
behind,  and  thinning  every  hour  the  miserable  bands 
who  had  no  longer  heart,  nor,  for  the  most  part,  arms 
of  any  kind  wherewith  to  resist  them.  But  the  whole 
extent  of  these  misfortunes  was  not  known  to  any  of 
the  French  generals,  nor  even  to  Napoleon  himself,  at 
the  time  when  Beauharriais  and  Ney  at  length  entered 
Smolensko. 

The  name  of  that  town  had  hitherto  been  the  only 
spell  that  preserved  any  hope  within  the  soldiers  of  the 
retreat.  There,  they  had  been  told,  they  should  find 
food,  clothing,  and  supplies  of  all  sorts  ;  and  there, 
being  once  more  assembled  under  the  eye  of  the  emper- 
or, they  would  speedily  reassume  an  aspect,  such  as 
none  of  the  northern  barbarians  would  dare  to  brave. 

But  these  expectations  were  cruelly  belied.  Smo- 
lensko had  been  almost  entirely  destroyed  by  the  Rus- 
sians in  the  early  part  of  the  campaign.  Its  ruined 
walls  afforded  only  a  scanty  shelter  to  the  famished 
and  shivering  fugitives  ;  and  the  provisions  assembled 
there  were  so  inadequate  to  the  demands  of  the  case, 
that  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  days,  Bonaparte  found 
himself  under  the  necessity  of  once  more  renewing  his 


1812.]         RETREAT  FROM  SMOLENSKO.  279 

disastrous  march.  He  had,  as  yet,  received  no  intelli- 
gence of  the  capture  of  Minsk  by  Tchichagoff.  It  was 
in  that  direction,  accordingly,  that  he  resolved  to  force 
his  passage  into  Poland. 

Although  the  grand  army  had  mustered  120,000 
when  it  left  Moscow,  and  the  fragments  of  various 
divisions  besides  had  met  the  emperor  at  Smolensko, 
it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  40,000  men  could  now 
be  brought  together,  in  anything  like  fighting  condition. 
These  Napoleon  divided  into  four  columns,  nearly 
equal  in  numbers  :  of  the  first,  which  included  6000  of 
the  imperial  guard,  he  himself  took  the  command,  and 
marched  with  it  towards  Krasnoi,  the  first  town  on  the 
way  to  Minsk  ;  the  second  corps  was  that  of  Eugene 
Beauharnais  ;  the  third,  Davoust's  ;  and  the  fourth, 
destined  for  the  perilous  service  of  the  rear,  and  accord- 
ingly strengihened  with  3000  of  the  guard,  was  intrust- 
ed to  the  heroic  guidance  of  Ney.  The  emperor  left 
Smolensko  on  the  13th  of  November,  having  ordered 
that  the  other  corps  should  follow  him  on  the  14th,  15th, 
and  16th,  respectively  ;  thus  interposing  a  day's  march 
between  every  two  divisions. 

He  himself,  with  his  column,  reached  Krasnoi  un- 
molested, although  the  whole  of  the  Russian  arrny, 
moving  on  a  parallel  road,  were  in  full  observation  of 
his  march.  Eugene,  who  followed  him,  was,  however, 
intercepted  on  his  way  by  Milarodowitch,  and  after 
sustaining  the  contest  gallantly  against  very  dispropor- 
tionate numbers,  and  a  terrible  cannonade,  was  at  length 
saved  only  by  the  fall  of  night.  During  the  darkness, 
the  viceroy  executed  a  long  and  hazardous  detour,  and 
joined  the  emperor  in  Krasnoi,  on  the  17th.  On  this 
night  march  they  fell  in  with  the  videttes  of  another  of 
Kutusoff's  columns,  and  owed  their  preservation  to  the 
quickness  of  a  Polish  soldier,  who  answered  the  chal- 
lenge in  Russian.  The  loss,  however,  had  been  severe; 
the  two  leading  divisions,  now  united  in  Krasnoi,  mus- 
tered scarcely  15,000. 

Napoleon  was  most  anxious  to  secure  the  passage  of 
the  Dnieper  at  Liady,  and  immediately  gave  Eugene 
the  command  of  the  van,  with  orders  to  march  on  this 


280  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

point ;  but  he  was  warned  by  the  losses  which  his  son- 
in-law  had  undergone,  of  the  absolute  necessity  of 
waiting  at  Krasnoi  until  Davoust  and  Ney  should  be 
able  to  come  up  with  him.  He  determined,  therefore, 
to  abide  at  Krasnoi,  with  6000  of  the  guard,  and  another 
corps  of  5000,  whatever  numbers  Kutusoff  might  please 
to  bring  against  him.  He  drew  his  sword,  and  said, 
"  I  have  long  enough  played  the  emperor — I  must  be 
the  general  once  more." 

In  vain  was  Kutusoff  urged  to  seize  this  opportunity 
of  pouring  an  irresistible  force  on  the  French  position. 
The  veteran  commanded  a  cannonade — and,  as  he  had 
one  hundred  pieces  of  artillery  well  placed,  the  ranks 
of  the  enemy  were  thinned  considerably.  But,  except- 
ing one  or  two  isolated  charges  of  cavalry,  he  adven- 
tured on  no  closer  collision  ;  and  Napoleon  held  his 
ground,  in  face  of  all  that  host,  until  nightfall,  when 
Davoust's  division,  surrounded  and  pursued  by  in- 
numerable Cossacks,  at  length  were  enabled  to  rally 
once  more  around  his  head-quarters. 

He  had  the  mortification  to  learn,  however,  that  Ney 
was  probably  still  in  Smolensko,  and  that  a  Russian 
force  had  marched  on  towards  Liady,  with  the  design 
of  again  intercepting  Eugene.  The  emperor,  there- 
fore, once  more  divided  his  numbers — pushed  on  in 
person  to  support  Beauharnais  and  secure  Liady — and 
left  Davoust  and  Mortier  to  hold  out  as  long  as  possi- 
ble at  Krasnoi,  in  the  hope  of  being  there  joined  by 
Ney.  Long,  however,  ere  that  gallant  chief  could 
reach  this  point,  the  Russians,  as  if  the  absence  of  Na- 
poleon had  at  once  restored  all  their  energy,  rushed 
down  and  forced  on  Davoust  and  Mortier  the  battle 
which  the  emperor  had  in  vain  solicited.  On  that  fatal 
field  the  French  left  forty-five  cannon  and  6000  prison- 
ers, besides  the  slain  and  the  wounded.  The  remain- 
der with  difficulty  effected  their  escape  to  Liady,  where 
Napoleon  once  more  received  them,  and  crossed  the 
Dnieper. 

Ney,  meanwhile,  having  in  execution  of  his  master's 
parting  injunctions  blown  up  whatever  remained  of 
the  walls  and  towers  of  Smolensko,  at  length  set  his 


1812.]         THE  RETREAT  CONTINUED.  281 

rear-guard  in  motion,  and  advanced  to  Krasnoi,  with- 
out being  harassed  by  any  enemy  except  Platoff,  whose 
Cossacks  entered  Smolensko  ere  he  could  wholly  aban- 
don it.  The  field,  strewn  with  many  thousand  corpses, 
informed  him  sufficiently  that  a  new  disaster  had  be- 
fallen the  fated  army.  Yet  he  continued  to  advance 
on  the  footsteps  of  those  who  had  thus  shattered  Davoust 
and  Mortier,  and  met  with  no  considerable  interruption 
until  he  reached  the  ravine  in  which  the  rivulet  Los- 
mina  has  its  channel.  A  thick  mist  lay  on  the  ground, 
and  Ney  was  almost  on  the  brink  of  the  ravine  ere  he 
perceived  that  it  was  manned  throughout  by  Russians, 
while  the  opposite  banks  displayed  a  long  line  of  batter- 
ies, deliberately  arranged,  and  all  the  hills  behind  were 
covered  with  troops. 

A  Russian  officer  appeared,  and  summoned  Ney  to 
capitulate.  "  A  mareschal  of  France  never  surren- 
ders," was  his  intrepid  answer  ;  and  immediately  the 
batteries,  distant  only  250  yards,  opened  a  tremendous 
storm  of  grape-shot.  Ney,  nevertheless,  had  the  hardi- 
hood to  plunge  into  the  ravine,  clear  a  passage  over  the 
stream,  and  charge  the  Russians  at  their  guns.  His 
small  band  were  repelled  with  fearful  slaughter ;  but 
he  renewed  his  efforts  from  time  to  time  during  the 
day,  and  at  night,  though  with  numbers  much  diminish- 
ed, still  occupied  his  original  position  in  the  face  of  a 
whole  army  interposed  between  him  and  Napoleon. 

The  emperor  had  by  this  time  given  up  all  hope  of 
ever  again  seeing  anything  of  his  rear  column.  But 
during  the  ensuing  night,  Ney  effected  his  escape  ;  nor 
does  the  history  of  war  present  many  such  examples 
of  apparently  insuperable  difficulties  overcome  by  the 
union  of  skill  and  valor.  The  marshal  broke  up  his 
bivouac  at  midnight,  and  marched  back  from  the  Los- 
mina,  until  he  came  on  another  stream,  which  he  con- 
cluded must  flow  also  into  the  Dnieper.  He  followed 
this  guide,  and  at  length  reached  the  great  river  at  a 
place  where  it  was  frozen  over,  though  so  thinly  that 
the  ice  bent  and  crackled  beneath  the  feet  of  the  men, 
who  crossed  it  in  single  files.  The  wagons  laden  with 
the  wounded,  and  what  great  guns  were  still  with  Ney, 


282  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

were  too  heavy  for  this  frail  bridge.  They  attempted 
the  passage  at  different  points,  and  one  after  another 
went  down,  amid  the  shrieks  of  the  dying  and  the  groans 
of  the  on-lookers.  The  Cossacks  had  by  this  time 
gathered  hard  behind,  and  swept  up  many  stragglers, 
besides  the  sick.  But  Ney  had  achieved  his  great  ob- 
ject ;  and  on  the  20th,  he,  with  his  small  and  devoted 
band,  joined  the  emperor  once  more  at  Orcsa.  Napo- 
leon received  him  in  his  arms,  hailed  him  as  "  the 
bravest  of  the  brave,"  and  declared  that  he  would  have 
given  all  his  treasures  to  be  assured  of  his  safety. 

The  emperor  was  once  more  at  the  head  of  his 
united  "  grand  army ;"  but  the  name  was  ere  now  be- 
come a  jest.  Between  Smolensko  and  the  Dnieper  the 
Russians  had  taken  228  guns,  and  26,000  prisoners ; 
and,  in  a  word,  having  mustered  40,000  effective  men 
at  leaving  Smolenskno,  Napoleon  could  count  only 
12,000,  after  Ney  had  joined  him  at  Orcsa.  Of  these 
there  were  but  150  cavalry:  and,  to  remedy  this  de- 
fect, officers  still  in  possession  of  horses,  to  the  num- 
ber of  500,  were  now  formed  into  a  "  sacred  band,"  as 
it  was  called,  for  immediate  attendance  on  the  em- 
peror's person.  The  small  fragment  of  the  once  gigan- 
tic force,  had  no  sooner  recovered  something  like  the 
order  of  discipline,  than  once  more  it  was  set  in  mo- 
tion. 

But  scarcely  had  the  emperor  passed  the  Dnieper, 
when  he  received  the  tidings  of  the  fall  of  Minsk,  and 
the  subsequent  retreat  of  Schwartzenberg  towards 
Warsaw.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  alter  his  plan, 
and  force  a  passage  into  Poland  to  the  northward  of 
that  great  depot.  It  was  necessary,  moreover,  to  do 
this  without  loss  of  time,  for  the  emperor  well  knew 
that  Witgenstein  had  been  as  successful  on  his  right 
flank,  as  Tchichagoff  on  his  left:  and  that  these  gene- 
rals might  soon  be,  if  they  already  were  not,  in  com- 
munication with  each  other,  and  ready  to  unite  all 
Iheir  forces  for  the  defence  of  the  next  great  river  on 
his  route — the  Beresina. 

Napoleon  had  hardly  resolved  to  attempt  the  passage 
of  this  river  at  Borizoff,  ere,  to  renew  all  his  perplexi- 


.812.]  PASSAGE    OF    THE    BERESINA.  283 

ties,  he  received  intelligence  that  Witgenstein  nad  de- 
feated Dombi'owski  'there,  and  retained  possession  of 
the  town  and  bridge.  Victor  and  Oudinot,  indeed,  ad- 
vanced immediately  lo  succor  Dombrowski,  and  retook 
Borizoff;  but  Witgenstein  burnt  the  bridge  ere  he  re- 
crossed  the  Beresina.  Imperfect  as  Victor's  success 
was,  Napoleon  did  not  hear  of  it  immediately.  He  de- 
termined to  pass  the  Beresina  higher  up,  at  Studzianska, 
and  forthwith  threw  himself  into  the  huge  forests 
which  border  that  river;  adopting  every  stratagem  by 
which  his  enemies  could  be  puzzled  as  to  the  immedi- 
ate object  of  his  march. 

His  12,000  men,  brave  and  determined,  but  no 
longer  preserving  in  their  dress,  nor,  unless  when  the 
trumpet  blew,  in  their  demeanor,  a  soldier-like  appear- 
ance, were  winding  their  way  amid  these  dark  woods, 
when  suddenly  the  air  around  them  was  filled  with 
sounds  which  could  only  proceed  from  the  march  of 
some  far  greater  host.  They  were  preparing  for  the 
worst,  when  they  found  themselves  in  presence  of  the 
advanced  guard  of  the  united  army  of  Victor  and 
Oudinot,  who  had,  indeed,  been  defeated  by  Witgen- 
stein, but  still  mustered  50,000  men,  completely  equip- 
ped, and  hardly  shaken  in  discipline.  With  what  feel- 
ings must  these  troops  have  surveyed  the  miserable, 
half-starved,  and  half-clad  remains  of  that  "grand 
army,"  their  own  detachment  from  whose  banners  had, 
some  few  short  months  before,  filled  every  bosom  among 
them  with  regret ! 

Having  melted  the  poor  relics  of  his  Moscow  army 
into  these  battalions,  Napoleon  now  continued  his 
march  on  Studzianska;  employing,  however,  all  his 
wit  to  confirm  Tchichagoft'in  the  notion  that  he  meant 
to  pass  the  Beresina  at  a  different  place,  and  this  with 
so  much  success,  that  Tchaplitz,  with  the  Russian  rear- 
guard, abandoned  a  strong  position,  commanding  the 
river,  during  the  very  night  which  preceded  his  appear- 
ance there.  Two  bridges  were  erected,  and  Oudinot 
had  passed  over,  ere  Tchaplitz  perceived  his  mistake, 
and  returned  again  towards  Studzianska. 

Discovering  that  the  passage  had  already  begun,  and 


284  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812 

that  in  consequence  of  the  nnrrowness  of  the  only  two 
bridges,  it  must  needs  proceed  slowly,  Tchichagoffand 
Witgenstein  now  arranged  a  joint  plan  of  attack 
The  latter  once  more  passed  to  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  river,  and,  having  wholly  cut  off  one  division  of 
7000,  under  Partonneaux,  not  far  from  Borizoff,  pro- 
ceeded  towards  Studzianska.  Platoff  and  his  inde- 
fatigable Cossacks  joined  Witgenstein  on  this  march, 
and  they  arrived  long  ere  the  rear-guard  of  Napoleon 
could  pass  the  river.  But  the  operations  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Beresina  were  far  less  zealously  or  skilfully 
conducted.  TchichagofF  was  in  vain  urged  to  support 
effectually  Tchaplitz ;  who  attacked  the  French  that 
had  passed,  and  being  repelled  by  Victor,  left  them  in 
unmolested  possession,  not  only  of  the  bridges  on  the 
Beresina,  but  of  a  long  train  of  wooden  causeways,  ex- 
tending for  miles  beyond  the  river,  over  deep  and  dan- 
gerous morasses,  and  which,  being  composed  of  old 
dry  timber,  would  have  required,  says  Segur,  "  to  de- 
stroy them  utterly,  but  a  few  sparks  from  the  Cossacks' 
tobacco-pipes." 

In  spite  of  this  neglect,  and  of  the  altogether  extra- 
ordinary conduct  of  Kutusoff,  who  still  persisted  in 
marching  in  a  line  parallel  with  Napoleon,  and  refusing 
to  hazard  any  more  assaults,  the  passage  of  the  Bere- 
sina was  one  of  the  most  fearful  scenes  recorded  in  the 
annals  of  war.  Victor,  with  the  rear  division,  con- 
sisting of  8000  men,  was  still  on  the  eastern  side  when 
Witgenstein  and  Platoff  appeared  on  the  heights  above 
them.  The  still  numerous  retainers  of  the  camp, 
crowds  of  sick,  wounded,  and  women,  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  artillery  were  in  the  same  situation.  When 
the  Russian  cannon  began  to  open  upon  this  multi- 
tude, crammed  together  near  the  bank,  and  each  anx- 
iously expecting  the  turn  to  pass,  a  shriek  of  utter  ter- 
ror ran  through  them,  and  men,  women,  horses,  and 
wagons  rushed  at  once,  pellmell,  upon  the  bridges. 
The  larger  of  these,  intended  solely  for  wagons  and 
cannon,  ere  long  broke  down,  precipitating  all  that 
were  upon  it  into  the  dark  half-frozen  stream.  The 
scream  that  rose  at  this  moment,  savs  one  that  heard 


1812.]  END    OF    THE    RUSSIAN    EXPEDITION.  285 

it,  "  did  not  leave  my  ears  for  weeks ;  it  was  heard 
clear  and  loud  over  the  hurrahs  of  the  Cossacks,  and 
all  the  roar  of  artillery."  The  remaining  bridge  was 
now  the  only  resource,  and  all  indiscriminately  endeav- 
ored to  gain  a  footing  on  it.  Squeezed,  trampled, 
forced  over  the  ledges,  cut  down  by  each  other,  and 
torn  by  the  incessant  shower  of  Russian  cannonade, 
they  iell  and  died  in  thousands.  Victor  stood  his 
ground  bravely  until  late  in  the  evening,  and  then  con- 
ducted his  division  over  the  bridge.  There  still  re- 
mained behind  a  great  number  of  the  irregular  attend- 
ants, besides  those  soldiers  who  had  been  wounded 
during  the  battle,  and  guns  and  baggage-carts  enough 
to  cover  a  whole  meadow.  The  French  now  fired  the 
bridge,  and  all  these  were  abandoned  to  their  fate. 
The  Russian  account  states,  that  when  the  Beresina 
thawed  after  that  winter's  frost,  36,000  bodies  were 
found  in  its  bed. 

Tchaplitz  was  soon  joined  in  his  pursuit  of  the  survi- 
vors by  Witgenstein  and  Platoff,  and  nothing  could  have 
saved  Napoleon  but  the  unexpected  arrival  of  a  fresh 
division  under  Maison,  sent  forwards  from  Poland  by 
Maret,  duke  of  Bassano. 

But  the  severity  of  the  winter  began  now  to  be  in- 
tense, and  the  sufferings  of  the  army  thus  recruited 
were  such,  that  discipline  ere  long  disappeared,  except 
among  a  few  thousands  of  hardy  veterans,  over  whose 
spirits  the  emperor  and  Ney  preserved  some  influence. 
The  assaults  of  the  Cossacks  continued  as  before  :  the 
troops  often  performed  their  march  by  the  light  of  torches, 
in  the  hope  of  escaping  their  merciless  pursuers.  When 
they  halted,  they  fell  asleep  in  hundreds  to  awake  no 
more.  Their  enemies  found  them  frozen  to  death 
around  the  ashes  of  their  watch-fires.  It  is  said,  among 
other  horrors,  that  more  than  once  they  found  poor 
famished  wretches  endeavoring  to  broil  the  flesh  of  their 
dead  comrades.  On  scenes  so  fearful  the  veil  must  not 
be  entirely  dropped.  Such  is  the  price  at  which  ambi- 
tion does  not  hesitate  to  purchase  even  the  chance  of 
what  the  world  has  not  yet  ceased  to  call  glory ! 

On   the  3d   of  December  Napoleon  reached  Malo- 


286  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

deczno,  and  announced  to  his  marshals  that  the  news 
he  had  received  from  Paris,  and  the  uncertain  nature 
of  his  relations  with  some  of  his  allies,  rendered  it  indis- 
pensable for  him  to  quit  his  army  without  farther  delay. 
They  were  now,  he  said,  almost  within  sight  of  Po- 
land ;  they  would  find  plenty  of  everything  at  Wilna. 
It  was  his  business  to  prepare  at  home  the  means  of 
opening  the  next  campaign  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the 
great  nation.  At  Smorgoni,  on  the  5th,  the  garrison 
of  Wilna  met  him ;  and  then,  having  intrusted  to  these 
fresh  troops  the  protection  of  the  rear,  and  given  the 
chief  command  to  Murat,  he  finally  bade  adieu  to  the 
relics  of  his  host.  He  set  off  at  midnight  in  a  traineau, 
accomplished  by  Caulaincourt,  whose  name  he  as- 
sumed :  two  other  vehicles  of  the  same  kind  followed, 
containing  two  officers  of  rank,  Rustan  the  emperor's 
favorite  Mameluke,  and  one  domestic  besides. 

Having  narrowly  escaped  being  taken  by  a  party  of 
irregular  Russians  at  Youpranoui,  Napoleon  reached 
Warsaw  at  nightfall,  on  the  10th  of  December.  His 
ambassador  there,  the  Abbe  De  Pradt,  who  had  as  yet 
heard  no  distinct  accounts  of  the  progress  of  events, 
was  unexpectedly  visited  by  Caulaincourt,  who  abruptly 
informed  him  that  the  grand  army  was  no  more.  The 
Abbe  accompanied  Caulaincourt  to  an  obscure  inn, 
where  the  emperor,  wrapped  in  a  fur  cloak,  was  walking 
up  and  down  rapidly,  beside  a  newly-lit  fire.  He  was 
received  with  an  air  of  gayety,  which  for  a  moment 
disconcerted  him ;  and  proceeded  to  mention  that  the  * 
inhabitants  of  the  grand-duchy  were  beginning  to  show 
symptoms  of  disaffection,  and  even  of  a  desire  to  recon- 
cile themselves  with  the  Prussians,  under  whose  yoke 
they  feared  they  were  destined  to  return.  The  Abbe 
expressed  his  own  satisfaction  that  the  emperor  had 
escaped  from  so  many  dangers.  "Dangers,"  cried 
Napoleon,  "  there  were  none — I  have  beat  the  Russians 
in  every  battle — I  live  but  in  dangers — it  is  for  kings 
of  Cockaigne  to  sit  at  home  at  ease.  My  army  is  in  a 
superb  condition  still — it  will  be  recruited  at  leisure  ai 
Wilna,  and  I  go  to  bring  up  300,000  men  more  from 
France." 


1812.]  CONSPIRACY    OF    MALLET.  287 

Resuming  his  incognito  and  his  journey,  Napoleon 
reached  Dresden  on  the  evening  of  the  14th  of  Decem- 
ber, where  the  king  of  Saxony  visited  him  secretly  at  his 
inn,  and  renewed  his  assurances  of  fidelity.  He  ar- 
rived at  the  Tuiieries  on  the  18th,  late  at  night,  after  the 
empress  had  retired  to  rest.  He  entered  the  antecham- 
ber, to  the  confusion  of  her  attendants,  who  at  length 
recognized  him  with  a  cry  that  roused  Maria  Louisa 
from  her  slumbers ;  and  Napoleon  was  welcomed  with 
•all  the  warmth  of  undirninished  affection. 

Such  was  his  expedition  to  Russia.  His  shattered 
army  as,  after  having  endured  still  further  hardships,  it 
reached  the  Prussian  territory,  presented  indeed  a  sad 
picture. 

There  had  been  slain  in  battle,  on  the  side  of  Na- 
poleon, 125,000  men.  Fatigue,  hunger,  and  cold  had 
caused  the  death  of  132,000;  and  the  Russians  had 
taken  of  prisoners  193,000 — including  forty-eight  gen- 
erals, and  3000  regimental  officers.  The  total  loss  was, 
therefore,  450,000  men.  The  eagles  and  standards  left 
in  the  enemies'  hands  were  seventy-five  in  number,  and 
the  pieces  of  cannon  nearly  one  thousand. 

Exclusive  of  the  Austrian  and  Prussian  auxiliaries, 
there  remained  of  all  the  enormous  host  which  Na- 
poleon set  in  motion  in  August,  about  40,000  men : 
and  of  these  not  10,000  were  of  the  French  nation. 

The  news  which  Napoleon  had  received  from  Paris, 
and  which  quickened  his  final  abandonment  of  the 
army,  was  the  daring  conspiracy  headed  by  general 
Mallet.  This  officer,  one  of  the  ancient  noblesse,  had 
been  placed  in  confinement,  in  1808,  in  consequence  of 
his  connection  with  a  society  called  the  Pliiladelphes, 
which  seems  to  have  sprung  up  within  the  French 
army,  at  the  time  when  Napoleon  seized  the  supreme 
power,  and  which  had  for  its  immediate  object  his  de- 
position. The  people  of  Paris  had  for  some  weeks  re- 
ceived no  official  intelligence  from  the  grand  army,  and 
rumors  of  some  awful  catastrophe  were  rife  among  all 
classes,  when  Mallet  conceived  the  daring  project  of 
forging  a  Senatus  Consultum,  announcing  the  fall  ot 
Napoleon  in  a  great  battle  in  Russia,  and  appointing  a 


288  NAfrOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1812. 

provisional  government.  Having  executed  this  forgery, 
the  general  escaped  from  his  prison,  and  appeared  in 
full  uniform,  attended  by  a  corporal  dressed  as  an  aid- 
de-camp,  at  midnight,  on  the  22d  of  October,  1812,  at 
the  gates  of  the  Minims-barracks,  then  tenanted  by 
some  new  and  raw  levies.  The  audacity  with  which 
he  claimed  the  obedience  of  these  men  to  the  senatorial 
decree,  overawed  them.  He  assumed  the  command, 
and  on  the  instant  arrested  by  their  means  Savary, 
minister  of  police,  and  some  others  of  the  principal 
functionaries  in  the  capital.  General  Hullin,  the  mili- 
tary governor,  was  summoned,  and  hesitated  ;  at  that 
moment  the  officer  of  police,  from  whose  keeping 
Mallet  had  escaped,  recognized  him,  and  he  was  im- 
mediately resisted,  disarmed,  and  confined.  The  whole 
affair  was  over  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  but  the 
fact  that  so  wild  a  scheme  should  have  been  so  nearly 
successful  was  sufficiently  alarming.  The  ease  and  in- 
difference with  which  a  considerable  body  of  armed 
men,  in  the  very  heart  of  Paris,  had  transferred  their 
.services  to  a  new  authority,  proclaimed  by  a  stranger, 
made  Napoleon  consider  with  suspicion  the  basis  of  his 
power.  And  ignorant  to  what  extent  the  conspiracy 
had  actually  gone,  he  heard  with  additional  alarm  that 
no  fewer  than  twenty-four  persons,  including  the  leader, 
had  been  condemned  to  death.  Of  so  many  he  was 
willing  to  believe  that  some  at  least  had  been  men? 
dupes,  and  apprehended  that  so  much  bloodshed  might 
create  a  violent  revulsion  of  public  feeling.  The  Pari- 
sians beheld  the  execution  of  these  men  with  as  much 
indifference  as  their  bold  attempt ;  but  of  this  Napoleon 
was  ignorant,  until  he  reached  the  Tuileries. 

His  arrival,  preceded  as  it  had  been  by  the  twenty- 
ninth  bulletin,  in  which  the  veil  was  at  last  lifted 
from  the  fatal  events  of  the  campaign,  restored  for  the 
moment  the  appearances  of  composure,  amid  a  popula- 
tion of  which  almost  every  family  had  lost  a  son  or  a 
brother.  Such  was  the  influence  that  still  clung  to  his 
name.  The  emperor  was  safe.  However  great  the 
present  calamity,  hope  remained.  The  elements,  as 
they  were  taught  to  believe,  had  not  merely  quickened 


1813.]  THE    RISING    OF    PRUSSIA.  289 

and  increased,  but  wholly  occasioned,  the  reverses  of 
the  army.  The  Russian  winter  was  the  only  enemy 
that  had  been  able  to  triumph  over  his  genius  and  the 
valor  of  Frenchmen.  The  senate,  the  magistrates,  all 
those  public  bodies  and  functionaries  who  had  the 
means  of  approaching  the  throne,  now  crowded  to  its 
footsteps  with  addresses  full  of  adulation,  yet  more 
audacious  than  they  had  ever  before  ventured  on.  The 
voice  of  applause,  congratulation,  and  confidence  re- 
echoed from  every  quarter,  drowned  the  whispers  of 
suspicion,  resentment,  and  natural  sorrow.  Every  de- 
partment of  the  public  service  appeared  to  be  animated 
with  a  spirit  of  tenfold  activity.  New  conscriptions 
were  called  for  and  yielded.  Regiments  arrived  from 
Spain  and  from  Italy.  Every  arsenal  resounded  with 
the  preparation  of  new  artillery — thousands  of  horses 
were  impressed  in  every  province.  Ere  many  weeks 
had  elapsed,  Napoleon  found  himself  once  more  in  con- 
dition to  take  the  field  with  not  less  than  350,000  sol- 
diers. Such  was  the  effect  of  his  new  appeal  to  the 
national  feelings  of  this  great  and  gallant  people. 

Meanwhile,  the  French  garrisons  dispersed  over  the 
Prussian  territory  were  wholly  incompetent  to  overawe 
that  oppressed  and  insulted  nation,  now  burning  with 
the  settled  thirst  and  long-deferred  hope  of  vengeance. 
The  king  interposed,  indeed,  his  authority  to  protect 
the  soldiers  of  Napoleon  from  popular  violence  ;  but  it 
soon  became  manifest  that  their  safety  must  depend  on 
their  concentrating  themselves  in  a  small  number  of 
fortified  places ;  and  that  even  if  Frederick  William 
had  been  cordially  anxious  to  preserve  his  alliance  with 
France,  it  would  ere  long  be  impossible  for  him  to  re- 
sist the  unanimous  wishes  of  his  people.  Murat  was 
soon  weary  of  his  command.  He  found  himself  thwarted 
and  controlled  by  the  other  generals,  none  of  whom  re- 
spected his  authority  ;  and  one  of  whom,  when  he  hap- 
pened to  speak  of  himself  in  the  same  breath  with  the 
sovereigns  of  Austria  and  Prussia,  answered,  without 
ceremony,  "  You  must  remember  that  these  are  kings 
by  the  grace  of  God,  and  by  descent,  and  by  custom ; 
whereas  you  are  only  a  king  by  the  grace  of  Napoleon, 


290  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1813 

and  through  the  expenditure  of  French  blood."  Murat 
was  moreover  jealous  of  the  extent  to  which  his  queen 
was  understood  to  be  playing  the  sovereign  in  Naples, 
and  he  threw  up  his  command ;  being  succeeded  by 
Eugene  Beauharnais,  and  insulted  anew  by  Napoleon 
himself,  in  a  general  order  which  announced  this 
change,  and  alleged  as  its  causes,  the  superior  military 
skill  of  the  viceroy,  and  his  possession  of  "  the  full  con- 
fidence of  the  emperor/'  Eugene  succeeded  to  the 
command  at  the  moment  when  it  was  obvious  that 
Frederick  William  could  no  longer,  even  if  he  would, 
repress  the  universal  enthusiasm  of  his  people.  On  the 
31st  of  January,  the  king  made  his  escape  to  Breslau, 
in  which  neighborhood  no  French  were  garrisoned, 
erected  his  standard,  and  called  on  the  nation  to  rise  in 
arms.  Whereon  Eugene  retired  to  Magdeburg,  and 
shut  himself  up  in  that  great  fortress,  with  as  many 
troops  as  he  could  assemble  to  the  west  of  the  Elbe. 

Six  years  had  elapsed  since  the  fatal  day  of  Jena ; 
and,  in  spite  of  all  the  watchfulness  of  Napoleon's 
tyranny,  the  Prussian  nation  had  recovered  in  a  great 
measure  its  energies.  The  people  now  answered  the 
call  of  their  beloved  prince,  as  with  the  heart  and  voice 
of  one  man.  Young  men  of  all  ranks,  the  highest  and 
the  lowest,  flocked  indiscriminately  to  the  standard : 
the  students  of  the  universities  formed  themselves  into 
battalions,  at  the  head  of  which,  in  many  instances, 
their  teachers  marched.  The  women  flung  their  trinkets 
into  the  king's  treasure — the  gentlemen  melted  their 
plate — England  poured  in  her  gold  with  a  lavish  hand. 
The  rapidity  with  which  discipline  was  established 
among  the  great  levies  thus  assembled,  excited  universal 
astonishment.  It  spoke  the  intense  and  perfect  zeal 
with  which  a  people,  naturally  warlike,  had  devoted 
themselves  to  the  sacred  cause  of  independence.  The 
emperor  of  Russia  was  no  sooner  aware  of  this  great 
movement,  than  he  resolved  to  advance  into  Silesia. 
Having  masked  several  French  garrisons  in  Prussian 
Poland,  and  taken  others,  Jie  pushed  on  with  his  main 
army  to  support  Frederick  William.  There  was  some 
risk  in  leaving  a  considerable  number  of  hostile  for- 


1813.]          BLUCHER BERNADOTTE.  291 

tresses  between  him  and  his  own  frontier;  but  this  he 
encountered  cheerfully,  rather  than  permit  the  Prus- 
sians to  stand  alone  the  first  onset  of  Napoleon,  of  whose 
extensive  preparations  all  Europe  was  well  aware.  The 
two  sovereigns,  long  attached  to  each  other  by  the 
warmest  feelings  of  personal  friendship,  though  of  late 
compelled  by  the  iron  force  of  circumstances  to  put  on 
the  disguise  of  hostility,  met  at  Breslau,  on  the  15th  of 
March.  Tears  rushed  down  the  cheeks  of  Frederick 
William,  as  he  fell  into  the  arms  of  Alexander :  "  Wipe 
them,"  said  the  czar ;  "  they  are  the  last  that  Napoleon 
shall  ever  cause  you  to  shed." 

The  aged  Kutusoff  having  died,  the  command  of  the 
Russian  army  was  now  given  to  Witgenstein ;  while 
that  of  the  Prussians  was  intrusted  to  a  leader,  whose 
name  was  hailed  as  the  sure  pledge  of  unremitting 
activity  and  indomitable  perseverance.  This  was 
Blucher,  an  officer  originally  trained  under  the  great 
Frederick.  The  soldiery  had  long  ere  now  bestowed 
on  him  the  nom-de-guerre  of  Marshal  Forwards,  and 
they  heard  of  his  appointment  with  universal  delight. 
Addicted  to  drinking,  smoking,  and  gambling,  and  little 
conversant  with  the  higher  branches  of  war  as  an  art, 
Blucher  was  at  first  despised  by  Napoleon.  But  his 
technical  deficiencies  were  abundantly  supplied  by  the 
skill  of  Scharnforst,  and  afterward  of  Gneisenau;  and 
he  himself  possessed  such  influence  over  the  minds  of 
his  men  in  the  day  of  action,  and  was  sure  to  rally  them 
so  rapidly  after  defeat,  and  to  urge  them  on  so  keenly 
when  fortune  was  more  favorable,  that  ere  long  the 
emperor  was  forced  to  confess  that  no  one  gave  him 
so  much  trouble  as  that  "debauched  old  dragoon." 
Blucher  hated  the  very  names  of  France  and  Bona- 
parte with  a  perfect  hatred  ;  and,  once  more  permitted 
to  draw  his  sword,  he  swore  never  to  sheath  it  until 
the  revenge  of  Prussia  was  complete. 
^  The  crown-prince  of  Sweden  landed  with  35,000  at 
Stralsund,  and  advanced  through  Mecklenburg,  while 
the  sovereigns  of  Russia  and  Prussia  were  concentra- 
ting their  armies  in  Silesia.  It  was  announced  and 
expected  that  German  troops  would  join  Bernadotte,  so 


292  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1813. 

as  to  enable  him  to  open  the  campaign  on  the  lower 
Elbe  with  a  separate  army  of  100,000.  Lord  Wel- 
lington was  about  to  advance  once  more  into  Spain 
with  his  victorious  veterans.  Three  great  armies,  two 
of  which  might  easily  communicate  with  each  other, 
were  thus  taking  the  field  against  him  at  once  ;  and  yet, 
such  was  Napoleon's  pride  or  obstinacy,  that  he  would 
make  no  sacrifice  whatever  to  secure  the  assistance  of 
Austria.  He  still  adhered  to  his  resolution  of  entering 
into  no  general  peace  which  should  not  recognize 
Joseph  as  king  of  Spain ;  and  refused  absolutely  to  lis- 
ten to  any  proposals  which  included  the  cession  either 
of  Illyria  or  the  Tyrol.  Ere  he  once  more  left  Paris, 
he  named  Maria  Louisa  regent  in  his  absence  ;  but 
this  was  a  circumstance  not  likely  to  have  much  weight 
with  the  wavering  councils  of  the  Austrian. 

Napoleon  quitted  Paris  in  the  middle  of  April,  and 
on  the  18th  reached  the  banks  of  the  Saale  ;  where  the 
troops  he  had  been  mustering  and  organizing  in  France 
had  now  been  joined  by  Eugene  Beauharnais  and  the 
garrison  of  Magdeburg.  The  czar  and  his  Prussian 
ally  were  known  to  be  at  Dresden  ;  and  it  soon  appear- 
ed that,  while  they  meditated  a  march  westward  on 
Leipsic,  the  French  intended  to  move  eastward  with 
the  view  of  securing  the  possession  of  that  great  city. 
Of  the  armies  thus  about  to  meet  each  other's  shock  in 
the  heart  of  Saxony,  Bonaparte's  was  considerably  the 
more  numerous.  His  activity  had  been  worthy  of  his 
reputation;  and  a  host  nearly  200,000  strong  was 
already  concentrated  for  action,  while  reserves  to  nearly 
a  similar  extent  were  gradually  forming  behind  him  on 
the  Rhine.  The  Russians  had  not  as  yet  pushed  for- 
ward more  than  half  their  disposable  troops  beyond  the 
Vistula;  the  Prussians,  unanimous  as  their  patriotism 
was,  had  only  had  three  months  to  re-organize  their 
establishments.  Under  such  circumstances,  the  ad- 
vance of  the  allies  beyond  the  Elbe  could  only  have 
proceeded  from  their  ardent  wish  to  stimulate  the  spirit 
of  insurrection  in  the  kingdom  of  Saxony,  and  the 
neighboring  states.  It  was  obviously  Napoleon's  in- 
terest to  bring  them  to  action  while  their  numbers  were 


1813. J  CAMPAIGN    OF    SAXONY    BEGINS.  293 

thus  unequal,  and  ere  the  sole  object  of  their  hazardous 
advance  could  be  realized. 

The  armies  met  sooner  than  he  had  ventured  to  hope, 
on  the  first  of  May,  near  the  town  of  Lutzen,  celebrated 
already  as  the  scene  of  the  battle  in  which  king  Gus- 
tavus  Adolphus  died.  The  allies  crossed  the  Elstei 
suddenly,  under  the  cover  of  a  thick  morning  fog,  and 
attacked  the  left  flank  of  the  French,  who  had  been 
advancing  in  column,  and  who  thus  commenced  the 
action  under  heavy  disadvantages.  But  the  ernperor 
so  skilfully  altered  the  arrangement  of  his  army,  that, 
ere  the  day  closed,  the  allies  were  more  afraid  of  being 
enclosed  to  their  ruin  within  his  two  wings,  than  hope- 
ful of  being  able  to  cut  through  and  destroy  that  part 
of  his  force  which  they  had  originally  charged  and 
weakened,  and  which  had  now  become  his  centre. 
Night  interrupted  the  conflict.  They  retreated  next 
morning,  leaving  Napoleon  in  possession  of  the  field. 
But  here  the  advantage  stopped.  The  slain  of  the  one 
army  were  not  more  numerous  than  those  of  the  other ; 
and  the  allies,  convinced  of  their  mistake,  but  neither 
broken  nor  discouraged,  fell  back  leisurely  on  Leipsic, 
thence  on  Dresden,  and  finally  across  the  Elbe  to 
Bautzen,  without  leaving  either  prisoners  or  guns  in 
the  hands  of  the  French. 

Napoleon  entered  Dresden  on  the  6th,  and  on  the 
12th  was  joined  there  by  the  king  of  Saxony,  who  cer- 
tainly had  been  individually  a  gainer  by  his  alliance, 
and  who  still  adhered  to  it,  in  opposition  to  the  wishes 
both  of  his  people  and  his  army.  The  Saxon  troops, 
who  had  been  wavering,  once  more  submitted  to  act 
in  concert  with  the  French  ;  and  Hamburg,  which  city 
had  partaken  in  the  movement  of  Prussia,  and  all  the 
country  to  the  left  of  the  Elbe,  fell  back,  for  the  mo- 
ment, into  their  hands.  The  cruelty  with  which  the 
defection  of  Hamburg,  in  particular,  was  now  revenged 
on  the  inhabitants  by  marshal  Davoust,  has  consigned 
to  lasting  abhorrence  the  name  of  that  able  but  heart- 
less satellite  of  Napoleon.  All  the  atrocities  of  Junot 
and  Massena,  in  Portugal,  in  1808  and  1809,  were 


294  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1813. 

equalled  on  the  banks  of  the  Elbe,  by  Davoust,  in  the 
summer  of  1813. 

While  the  emperor  paused  at  Dresden,  Ney  made 
various  demonstrations  in  the  direction  of  Berlin,  with 
the  view  of  inducing  the  allies  to  quit  Bautzen ;  but  it 
soon  became  manifest  that  they  had  resolved  to  sacrifice 
the  Prussian  capital,  if  it  were  necessary,  rather  than 
forego  their  position ;  by  adhering  to  which  they  well 
knew  Bonaparte  must  ultimately  be  compelled  to  carry 
his  main  force  into  a  difficult  and  mountainous  country, 
in  place  of  acting  in  the  open  plains  of  Saxony  and 
Brandenburg.  They  were,  moreover,  desirous  to  re- 
main in  the  neighborhood  of  Bohemia  for  another 
reason.  The  Austrian  emperor  had  again  renewed  his 
negotiation  with  Napoleon ;  urging  him  to  accept  his 
mediation  for  the  conclusion  of  a  general  peace,  and  at 
the  same  time  giving  him  to  understand  that  such  a 
peace  could  not  be  obtained,  unless  he  would  consent 
to  be  satisfied  with  the  frontier  of  the  Rhine,  and  restore 
effectively  the  independence  of  the  German  nation. 
Napoleon's  conferences  with  Bubna,  the  Austrian  en 
voy,  were  frequent  and  long ;  but  they  ended  where 
they  began.  He  was  well  aware, 'however,  that  the 
emperor  Francis  was  increasing  his  military  establish- 
ment largely,  and  that  a  great  body  of  troops  was 
already  concentrated  behind  the  mountainous  frontier 
of  Bohemia.  He  could  not  but  see  that  Austria  re- 
garded herself  as  enabled  and  entitled  to  turn  the  scale 
on  whichsoever  side  she  might  choose ;  and  he  deter- 
mined to  crush  the  army  which  had  retreated  from 
Lutzen,  ere  the  ceremonious  cabinet  of  Vienna  should 
have  time  to  come  to  a  distinct  understanding  with  the 
head-quarters  of  Alexander  and  Frederick  William. 
Victory,  he  clearly  saw,  could  alone  serve  his  interests 
with  the  Austrian. 

Having  replaced  by  wood-work  some  arches  of  the 
magnificent  bridge  over  the  Elbe,  at  Dresden,  which 
the  allies  had  blown  up  on  their  retreat,  Napoleon  now 
moved  towards  Bautzen,  and  came  in  sight  of  the  posi- 
.tion  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  May.  Its  strength 
was  obviously  great.  In  their  front  was  the  river 


1813.]  BATTLE    OP    BAUTZEN.  295 

Spree :  wooded  hills  supported  their  right,  and  emi- 
nences well  fortified  their  left.  The  action  began  with 
an  attempt  to  turn  their  right,  but  Barclay  de  Tolly 
anticipated  this  movement,  and  repelled  it  with  such 
vigor,  that  a  whole  column  of  7000  dispersed,  and  fled 
into  the  hills  of  Bohemia  for  safety.  The  emperor  then 
determined  to  pass  the  Spree  in  front  of  the  enemy, 
and  they  permitted  him  to  do  so,  rather  than  come  down 
from  their  position.  He  took  up  his  quarters  in  the 
town  of  Bautzen,  and  his  whole  army  bivouacked  in 
presence  of  the  allies.  The  battle  was  resumed  at  day- 
break on  the  22d  ;  when  Ney  on  the  right,  and  Oudinbt 
on  the  left,  attempted  simultaneously  to  turn  the  flanks 
of  the  position ;  while  Soult  and  Napoleon  himself  di- 
rected charge  after  charge  en  the  centre.  During  four 
hours  the  struggle  was  maintained  with  unflinching 
obstinacy ;  the  wooded  heights,  where  Blucher  com- 
manded, had  been  taken  and  retaken  several  times — 
the  bloodshed,  on  either  side,  had  been  terrible — ere, 
the  situation  of  both  flanks  being  apparent,  the  allies 
perceived  the  necessity  either  of  retiring,  or  of  contin- 
uing the  fight  against  superior  numbers  on  disadvan- 
tageous ground.  They  withdrew  accordingly ;  but 
still  with  all  the  deliberate  coolness  of  a  parade  :  halt- 
ing at  every  favorable  spot,  and  renewing  their  cannon- 
ade. "  What,"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  "  no  results  !  not 
a  gun !  not  a  prisoner  ! — these  people  will  not  leave  me 
so  much  as  a  nail."  During  the  whole  day  he  urged 
the  pursuit  with  impetuous  rage,  reproaching  even  his 
chosen  generals  as  "  creeping  scoundrels,"  and  expo- 
sing his  own  person  in  the  very  hottest  of  the  fire.  By 
his  side  was  Duroc,  the  grand  master  of  the  palace,  his 
dearest — many  said,  ere  now,  his  only  friend.  Bru- 
yeres,  another  old  associate  of  the  Italian  wars,  was 
struck  down  in  their  view.  "  Duroc,"  whispered  Na- 
poleon, "fortune  has  a  spite  at  us  this  day."  A  few 
minutes  afterward  Duroc  himself  was  mortally  wound- 
ed. The  emperor  instantly  ordered  a  halt,  and  remain- 
ed all  the  afternoon  in  front  of  his  tent,  surrounded  by 
the  guard,  who  did  not  witness  his  affliction  without 
tears.  From  this  time  he  would  listen  to  no  reports  or 


296  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1813. 

suggestions.  "  Everything  to-morrow,"  was  his  inva- 
riable answer.  He  stood  by  Duroc  while  he  died ; 
drew  up  with  his  own  hand  ah  epitaph  to  be  placed 
over  his  remains  by  the  pastor  of  the  place,  who  receiv- 
ed 200  Napoleons  to  defray  the  expense  of  a  fitting 
monument ;  and  issued  also  a  decree  in  favor  of  his 
departed  friend's  children.  Thus  closed  the  22d.  The 
allies,  being  strongly  posted  during  most  of  the  day,  had 
suffered  less  than  the  French  ;  the  latter  had  lost  15,000, 
the  former  10,000  men. 

They  continued  their  retreat  into  upper  Silesia  ;  and 
Napoleon  advanced  to  Breslau,  and  released  the  garri- 
son of  Giogau.  Meanwhile,  the  Austrian,  having  watch- 
ed these  indecisive  though  bloody  fields,  once  more 
renewed  his  offers  of  mediation.  The  sovereigns  of 
Russia  and  Prussia  expressed  great  willingness  to  accept 
it ;  and  Napoleon  also  appears  to  have  been  sincerely 
desirous  for  the  moment  of  bringing  his  disputes  to  a 
peaceful  termination.  He  agreed  to  an  armistice,  and 
in  arranging  its  conditions,  agreed  to  fall  back  out  of 
Silesia;  thus  enabling  the  allied  princes  to  re-open 
communications  with  Berlin.  The  lines  of  country  to 
be  occupied  by  the  armies,  respectively,  during  the 
truce,  were  at  length  settled,  and  it  was  signed  on  the 
1st  of  June.  Napoleon  then  returned  to  Dresden,  and 
a  general  congress  of  diplomatists  prepared  to  meet  at 
Prague. 


CHAPTER  X. 

NAPOLEON  AND  METTERNICH — Intelligence  from  Spain — Congress  of 
Prague  dissolved — Austria  declares  War — Battle  of  Dresden — 
Culm — Dennewitz — Napoleon  retires  from  the  Elbe — The  Battle  of 
Leipsic — Hanau — The  Allies  on  the  Rhine — Germany  and  Denmark 
— Declaration  of  the  Allies  at  Frankfort — Holland — Italy — Spain- 
Obstinacy  of  Napoleon — His  Military  Preparations — The  Campaign 
of  France — Superhuman  Efforts  of  Bonaparte — Ultimate  Failure^ 
The  Allies  take  Possession  of  Paris — Napoleon  abdicates — Banished 
to  Elba — His  Conduct  and  Occupations  there — Discontents  in  France 
— Jealousy  of  the  Army — Napoleon  escapes  from  Elba — A.  D.  1813 
—1816. 

ENGLAND  alone  refused  to  send  any  representative 
to  Prague,  alleging  that  Bonaparte  had  as  yet  signified 
no  disposition  to  recede  from  his  pretensions  on  Spain, 
and  that  he  had  further  consented  to  the  armistice  with 
the  sole  view  of  gaining  time  for  political  intrigue,  and 
military  preparation.  It  may  be  doubted  whether  any  of 
the  allied  powers  who  took  part  in  the  congress  did  so 
with  much  hope  that  the  disputes  with  Napoleon  could 
find  a  peaceful  end.  His  recent  successes  were  to  the 
general  view  dazzling,  however  in  reality  unproductive, 
and  must  have  been  supposed  to  quicken  the  flame  of 
his  pride.  But  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  gain 
time  for  the  advance  of  Bernadotte ;  for  the  arrival  of 
new  reinforcements  from  Russia ;  for  the  completion 
of  the  Prussian  organization  ;  and,  above  all,  for  deter- 
mining the  policy  of  Vienna. 

Metternich,  the  Austrian  minister,  repaired  in  person 
to  Dresden  ;  and,  while  inferior  diplomatists  wasted 
time  in  endless  discussions  at  Prague,  one  interview 
between  him  and  Napoleon  brought  the  whole  question 
to  a  definite  issue.  The  emperor  had  hitherto  seen  in 
Metternich  only  a  smooth  and  elegant  courtier,  and  he 
expected  to  bear  him  down  by  military  violence  and 

13* 


298  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1813. 

rudeness.  He  assumed  at  once  that  Austria  had  no 
wish  but  to  drive  a  good  bargain  for  herself,  and  asked 
broadly,  What  is  your  price  ?  Will  Illyria  satisfy 
you  ?  I  only  wish  you  to  be  neutral — /  can  deal  with 
these  Russians  and  Prussians  single-handed.  Metter- 
nich  stated  plainly  that  the  time  in  which  Austria  could 
be  neutral  was  past;  that  the  situation  of  Europe  at 
large  must  be  considered.  Napoleon  insinuated  that 
he  would  be  happy  to  dismember  Prussia,  and  give 
half  her  territories  to  Austria.  Metternich  replied, 
that  his  government  was  resolved  to  be  gained  by  no 
share  in  the  spoils  of  others  ;  that  events  had  proved 
the  impossibility  of  a  steadfast  peace,  unless  the  sove- 
reigns of  the  continent  were  restored  to  the  rank  of  in- 
dependence ;  in  a  word,  that  the  Rhenish  confederacy 
must  be  broken  up ;  that  France  must  be  contented 
with  the  boundary  of  the  Rhine^  and  pretend  no  longer 
to  maintain  her  usurped  and  unnatural  influence  in 
Germany.  Napoleon  replied  by  a  gross  personal  in- 
sult :  Come,  Metternich,  said  he,  tell  me  honestly  how 
much  the  English  have  given  you  to  take  their  part 
against  me. 

The  Austrian  court  at  length  sent  a  formal  document, 
containing  its  ultimatum,  the  tenor  of  which  Metter- 
nich had  sufficiently  indicated  in  his  conversation. 
Talleyrand  and  Fouche,  who  had  now  arrived  from 
Paris,  urged  Napoleon  to  accede  to  the  terms  proposed. 
They  represented  to  him  the  madness  of  rousing  all  Eu- 
rope to  conspire  for  his  destruction,  and  insinuated  that 
the  progress  of  discontent  was  rapid  in  France  itself. 
Their  arguments  were  backed  by  intelligence  of  the 
most  disastrous  character  from  Spain.  Wellington  was 
triumphing  there  over  the  concentrated  force  of  Joseph 
and  Jourdan,  and  now  seemed  desirous  of  terminating 
his  campaign  by  an  invasion  of  the  south-western 
provinces  of  France.  Napoleon  was  urged  by  his  mil- 
itary, as  well  as  political  advisers,  to  appreciate  duly 
the  crisis  which  his  affairs  had  reached.  Berthier,  and 
indeed  almost  all  the  generals  on  whose  opinions  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  place  reliance,  concurred  in  press- 
ing him,  either  to  make  peace  on  the  terms  proposed 


1813.]  AUSTRIA   JOINS    THE    ALLIANCE.  299 

or  to  draw  in  his  garrisons  on  the  Oder  and  Elbe, 
whereby  he  would  strengthen  his  army  with  50,000 
veterans,  and  retire  to  the  Rhine.  There,  they  said, 
with  such  a  force  assembled  on  such  a  river,  and  with 
all  the  resources  of  France  behind  him,  he  might  bid 
defiance  to  the  united  armies  of  Europe,  and,  at  worst, 
obtain  a  peace  that  would  leave  him  in  secure  tenure 
of  a  nobler  dominion  than  any  of  the  kings,  his  prede- 
cessors, had  ever  hoped  to  possess.  "  Ten  lost  battles," 
said  he,  "  would  not  sink  me  lower  than  you  would 
have  me  to  place  myself  by  my  own  voluntary  act ; 
but  one  battle  gained  enables  me  to  seize  Berlin  and 
Breslau,  and  make  peace  on  terms  compatible  with  my 
glory."' 

Thus  blinded  by  arrogance  and  self-confidence,  and 
incapable  of  weighing  any  other  considerations  against 
what  he  considered  as  the  essence  of  his  personal  glory, 
Napoleon  refused  to  abate  one  iota  of  his  pretensions 
until  it  was  too  late.  Then,  indeed,  whether  more  ac- 
curate intelligence  from  Spain  had  reached  him,  or  the 
accounts  of  those  who  had  been  watching  the  unre- 
mitting preparations  of  the  allies  in  his  neighborhood 
had  at  length  found  due  weight — rthen,  indeed,  he  did 
show  symptoms  of  concession.  A  courier  arrived  at 
Prague  with  a  note,  in  which  he  signified  his  willing- 
ness to  accede  to  a  considerable  number  of  the  Aus- 
trian stipulations.  But  this  was  on  the  llth  of  August. 
The  day  preceding  was  that  on  which,  by  the  agree- 
ment, the  armistice  was  to  end.  On  that  day  Austria 
had  signed  an  alliance,  offensive  and  defensive,  with 
Russia  and  Prussia.  On  the  night  between  the  10th 
and  llth,  rockets  answering  rockets  from  height  to 
height  along  the  frontiers  of  Bohemia  and  Silesia,  had 
announced  to  all  the  armies  of  the  allies  this  accession 
of  strength,  and  the  immediate  recommencement  of 
hostilities. 

On  neither  side  had  the  pending  negotiation  been 
permitted  for  a  moment  to  interrupt  or  slacken  military 
preparation.  Napoleon  had  sent  Beauharnais  into 
I'<*ly,  to  be  ready  in  case  of  any  Austrian  demonstra- 
t  n  in  that  quarter  ;  and  general  Wrede  with  the  Ba- 


300  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1813 

varian  army,  guarded  his  rear.  An  Austrian  army, 
60,000  strong,  was  now  ready  to  pass  the  Alps  ;  and, 
to  watch  Wrede,  another  corps  of*  40,000,  under  the 
prince  of  Reuss,  had  taken  their  station.  These  were 
minor  arrangements.  The  forces  now  assembled 
around  Napoleon  himself  were  full  250,000  in  number, 
and  were  so  distributed  as  to  present  a  formidable 
front  on  every  point  where  it  was  likely  the  allies 
should  hazard  an  attack,  and,  moreover,  so  that  Napo- 
leon could  speedily  reinforce  any  threatened  position 
with  his  reserve  from  Dresden.  The  arrangement 
of  the  two  armies  was  such  that  Dresden  formed  the 
centre  of  a  comparatively  small  circle,  completely 
occupied  by  the  French;  while  the  allies  might  be 
considered  as  lying  on  part  of  a  much  wider  circle 
beyond  them.  Napoleon  had  evidently  arranged  his 
troops  with  the  view  of  provoking  his  enemies  to 
make  isolated  assaults,  and  so  beating  them  in  detail. 
But  he  was  now  opposed  by  generals  well  acquaint- 
ed with  his  system  of  tactics,  and  who  had  accord- 
ingly prepared  a  counter-scheme  expressly  calcula- 
ted to  baffle  the  plan  of  arrangements  on  which  he 
had  reckoned.  The  commanders  of  the  three  allied 
armies  agreed,  that  whosoever  of  them  should  be  first 
assailed  or  pressed  by  the  French,  should  on  no  account 
accept  battle,  but  retreat ;  thus  tempting  Napoleon  in 
person  to  follow,  leaving  Dresden  open  to  the  assault 
of  some  other  great  branch  of  their  confederacy,  and 
so  enabling  them  at  once  to  seize  all  his  magazines,  to 
break  the  communications  between  the  remaining  di- 
visions of  his  army,  and  interpose  a  hostile  force  in  the 
rear  of  them  all — between  the  Elbe  and  the  Rhine. 
The  plan  of  the  allies  is  supposed  to  have  been  drawn 
up  by  two  generals  who  had  often  served  under  Napo- 
leon— Bernadotte,  the  crown-prince  of  Sweden,  and 
Moreau,  who  had  some  time  ere  this  accepted  the  in- 
vitation of  the  emperor  .Alexander,  and  returned  from 
his  American  exile,  to  take  part  in  the  war — which 
now,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  had  for  its  object  the 
emancipation  of  France  itself,  as  well  as  of  the  other 
countries  of  Europe. 


1813.]  BATTLE  OF  DRESDEN.  301 

Blucher  made  the  first  movement ;  and  no  sooner 
did  Napoleon  understand  that  he  was  threatening  the 
position  of  Macdonald  than  he  quitted  Dresden  (15th 
August)  with  his  guard  and  a  powerful  force  of  caval- 
ry, and  proceeded  to  the  support  of  his  lieutenant. 
Blucher  adhered  faithfully  to  the  general  plan,  and  re- 
tired across  the  Katsbach,  in  the  face  of  his  enemies. 
Napoleon  was  still  pursuing  him  in  the  direction  of 
the  Neiss  and  Breslau,  when  he  was  informed  that 
Schwartzenberg  had  rushed  down  from  the  Bohemian 
hills.  He  instantly  abandoned  Blucher  to  the  care  of 
Macdonald,  and  sent  his  guards  back  to  Dresden,  whith- 
er he  himself  also  began  his  journey  early  on  the  23d. 

Having  driven  St.  Cyr,  and  his  20,000  men,  before 
him,  Schwartzenberg  (with  whom  were  the  sovereigns 
of  Russia  and  Prussia,  in  person)  made  his  appearance 
on  the  heights  to  the  south  of  the  Saxon  capital,  on  the 
25th.  The  army  of  St.  Cyr  had  thrown  themselves 
into  the  city,  and  it  was  now  surrounded  with  fortifica- 
tions of  considerable  strength.  Yet  had  this  vast  host 
attacked  it  at  once,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  it 
must  have  fallen  ere  Napoleon  could  have  returned 
from  Silesia.  They  delayed,  for  whatever  reason, 
until  daybreak  on  the  26th  ;  and  then  assailed  Dresden 
in  six  columns,  each  more  numerous  than  its  garrison. 
St.  Cyr  already  began  to  despair,  when  the  imperial 
guard  made  their  appearance,  crossing  the  bridge  from 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Elbe,  and  in  the  midst  of  them 
Napoleon.  A  German  author*  says,  "  It  was  then 
that,  for  the  first  time,  I  beheld  his  face.  He  came  on, 
with  the  eye  of  a  tiger,  and  the  voice  of  a  lion,  urging 
his  breathless  and  eager  soldiers."  Two  sallies  were 
on  the  instant  executed  by  these  troops,  hot  as  they 
were  from  their  long  and  toilsome  march.  The  allies 
were  driven  back  for  some  space.  Night  set  in,  and 
the  two  armies  remained  in  presence  till  the  morning. 
Then,  amid  a  fierce  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  Napoleon 
renewed  the  battle.  200,000  men  (such  had  been  the 
rapid  decision  of  his  orders  to  his  various  generals) 
were  now  gathered  round  him,  and  he  poured  them  out 
*  Hoffman's  Account  of  his  own  Life. 


302  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1813. 

with  such  skill,  on  either  flank  of  the  enemy's  line,  that 
ere  the  close  of  the  day,  they  were  forced  to  withdraw 
altogether  from  their  attempt.  Ney  and  Murat  on 
the  left  flank,  and  Vandamme  on  the  right  (at  Pirna), 
had  taken  possession  of  the  two  chief  roads  into  Bohe- 
mia, and  in  consequence  they  were  compelled  to  retreat 
by  the  comparatively  difficult  country  paths  between. 
On  either  side  8000  men  had  been  slain  or  wounded ; 
but  with  the  French  there  remained  from  15  to  20,000 
prisoners,  and  twenty-six  cannon ;  and  Moreau  the 
ablest  of  all  the  enemy's  generals  had  fallen. 

But  fortune  had  only  revisited  the  banners  of  her 
ancient  favorite  with  a  momentary  gleam  of  sunshine. 
The  fatigues  he  had  undergone  between  the  15th  and 
28th  of  August  would  have  broken  any  other  frame, 
and  they,  for  the  time,  weakened  his.  It  is  said  that 
a  mess  of  mutton  and  garlic,  the  only  food  he  tasted 
on  the  26th,  had  besides  deranged  his  stomach.  Una- 
ble to  remain  with  the  columns  in  the  rear  of  Schwart- 
zenberg,  he  returned  to  Dresden,  weary  and  sick ;  and 
thenceforth  evil  tidings  awaited  him. 

Vandamme  continued  the  pursuit  on  the  Pirna  road. 
Seduced  by  the  enormous  prize  which  lay  before  him 
at  Toepletz,  where  the  chief  magazines  of  the  allies 
had  been  established,  and  on  which  all  their  broken 
columns  were  now  endeavoring  to  re-assemble,  this 
rude  and  hot-headed  soldier  incautiously  advanced  be- 
yond the  wooded  heights  of  Peterswald  into  the  valley 
of  Culm.  A  Russian  corps  suddenly  turned  on  him, 
and  formed  in  line  of  battle.  Their  general,  count 
D'Osterman,  assured  them  that  the  life  of  "  their 
father"  depended  on  their  steadfastness  ;  and  no  effort 
could  shake  them.  The  battle  continued  till  night, 
when  Vandamme  ought  undoubtedly  to  have  retired  to 
Peterswald.  He  lingered  till  the  morning  of  the  30th  ; 
— when  behind  him,  on  those  very  heights,  appeared 
the  Russian  corps  of  Kleist,  who  had  been  wandering 
and  lost  their  way  amid  the  forests.  The  French 
rushed  up  the  hill  in  despair,  thinking  they  were  inter- 
cepted by  design.  The  Prussians,  on  their  part,  doubted 
not  that  some  other  division  of  Napoleon's  force  was 


1813.]  WAHLSTADT GROSSBEEREN.  303 

hard  behind  them,  and  rushed  down — with  the  same 
fear,  and  the  same  impetuosity.  The  Russians  advan- 
ced and  completed  the  disarray.  The  field  was  cover- 
ed with  dead :  Vandamme  and  nearly  8000  men  laid 
down  their  arms.  Many  eagles  were  taken — the  rest 
of  the  army  dispersed  in  utter  confusion  among  the  hills. 
This  news  reached  Napoleon,  still  sick  at  Dresden 
"  Such,"  said  he  to  Murat,  "  is  the  fortune  of  war — 
high  in  the  morning — low  ere  night.  Between  triumph 
and  ruin  there  intervenes  but  a  step."  A  map  lay 
stretched  on  the  table  before  him ;  he  took  his  com- 
passes, and  measuring  distances  on  it  with  an  idle 
hand,  repeated  the  lines  of  one  of  his  favorite  poets : 

"  J'ai  servi,  commande,  vaincu  quarante  annees ; 
Du  monde,  entre  mes  mains,  j'ai  vu  les  destinees ; 
Et  j'ai  toujours  connu  qu'en  chaque  evenement 
Le  destin  des  etats  dependait  d'un  moment." 

Hard  on  the  tidings  of  Culm  followed  others  of  the 
same  complexion.  No  sooner  did  Blucher  perceive 
that  Napoleon  had  retired  from  Silesia  than  he  resumed 
the  offensive,  and  descended  from  the  position  he  had 
taken  up  at  Jauer.  He  encountered  Macdonald,  who 
was  by  no  means  prepared  for  this  boldness,  on  the 
plains  between  Wahlstadt  and  the  river  Katsbach,  on 
the  26th  of  August,  and  after  a  hard-fought  day  gained 
a  complete  victory.*  The  French  lost  15,000  men 
and  100  guns,  and  fell  back  on  Dresden.  Oudinot, 
•meanwhile,  had  advanced  from  Leipsic  towards  Berlin, 
with  the  view  of  preventing  Bernadotte  from  effecting 
a  junction  with  Blucher,  or  overwhelming  the  French 
garrisons  lower  down  the  Elbe.  The  crown-prince, 
however,  met  and  defeated  him  at  Grossbeeren,  on  the 
23d  of  August  ;  took  Luckau,  where  1000  men  were 
in  garrison,  on  the  28th ;  and  continued  to  advance 
towards  Wittemberg,  under  the  walls  of  which  city 
Oudinot  at  length  concentrated  all  his  forces.  Napo- 
leon, perceiving  the  importance  of  this  point,  sent  Ney 
with  new  troops,  and  gave  him  the  chief  command, 
with  strict  orders  to  force  his  way  to  Berlin  ;  so  placing 
Bernadotte  between  the  Leipsic  army  and  himself  at 

*  Blucher  was  created  prince  of  Wahlstadt. 


304  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1813. 

Dresden.  Ney  endeavored  to  pass  the  Swedes  with- 
out a  battle,  but  failed  in  this  attempt.  A  general  ac- 
tion was  forced  on  him  on  the  7th  of  September,  at 
Dennewitz.  He  also  was  wholly  defeated:  10,000 pris- 
oners and  forty-six  guns  remained  in  the  hands  of  Ber- 
nadotte ;  and  Ney  retreated  in  confusion  upon  Torgau. 

Napoleon  had  now  recovered  his  health  and  activity; 
and  the  exertions  which  he  made  at  this  period  were 
never  surpassed,  even  by  himself.  On  the  3d  of  Sep- 
tember he  was  in  quest  of  Blucher,  who  had  now  ad- 
vanced near  to  the  Elbe  ;  but  the  Prussian  retired,  and 
baffled  him  as  before.  Returning  to  Dresden  he  re- 
ceived the  news  of  Dennewitz,  and  immediately  after- 
ward heard  that  Witgenstein  had  a  second  time  de- 
scended towards  Pirna.  He  flew  thither  on  the  in- 
stant ;  the  Russian  also  gave  way,  according  to  the 
general  plan  of  the  campaign ;  and  Bonaparte  once 
more  returned  to  Dresden  on  the  12th.  Again  he 
was  told  that  Blucher,  on  the  one  side,  and  Witgen- 
stein, on  the  other,  were  availing  themselves  of  his 
absence,  and  advancing.  He  once  more  returned  to 
Pirna :  a  third  time  the  Russian  retired.  Napoleon 
followed  him  as  far  as  Peterswald,  and,  having  con- 
templated with  his  own  eyes  the  scene  of  Vandamme's 
catastrophe,  once  more  returned  to  his  centre  point. 

Not  all  Ney's  exertions  could  prevent  Bernadotte 
and  Blucher  from  at  length  effecting  their  junction  to 
the  west  of  the  Elbe.  The  marshal,  having  witnessed 
the  combination  of  these  armies,  retreated  to  Leipsic. 
Napoleon  ordered  Regnier  and  Bertrand  to  march 
suddenly  from  Dresden  on  Berlin,  in  the  hope  of  re- 
calling Blucher ;  but  the  veteran  persisted.  Meantime, 
Schwartzenberg  was  found  to  be  skirting  round  the 
hills  to  the  westward,  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  joining 
Bluch-er  and  Bernadotte  in  the  neighborhood  of  Leip- 
sic. It  became  manifest  to  all  that  Dresden  had 
ceased  to  be  the  key  of  Napoleon's  defence :  yet  he 
clung  to  the  Elbe,  as*  he  had  done  to  the  Kremlin. 

He  lingered  at  Dresden  at  least  three  weeks  after  all 
rational  hope  of  holding  that  river  was  gone;  and  even 
at  the  last,  when  he  perceived  the  necessity  of  transfer- 


1813.]  LEIPSIC.  305 

ring  his  person  to  Leipsic,  he  could  not  be  persuaded  to 
call  in  his  garrisons  scattered  down  the  valley,  which 
he  still  hoped  some  turn  of  events  would  enable  [dm  to 
revisit  in  triumph. 

Towards  Leipsic,  however,  as  on  a  common  centre, 
the  forces  of  France,  and  all  her  enemies,  were  now  at 
length  converging.  Napoleon  reached  that  venerable 
city  on  the  15th  of  October,  and  almost  immediately 
the  heads  of  Schwartzenberg's  columns  began  to  ap- 
pear towards  the  south.  It  was  necessary  to  prepare 
on  the  northern  side  also,  in  case  Bernadotte  and 
Blucher  should  appear  ere  the  grand  army  was  dis- 
posed of;  and,  lastly,  it  was  necessary  to  secure. effec- 
tually the  ground  to  the  west  of  Leipsic  ; — a  series  of 
marshy  meadows  interfused  with  the  numerous  branches 
of  the  Pleisse  and  the  Elster,  through  which  lies  the 
only  road  to  France.  Napoleon  having  made  all  his 
preparations,  reconnoitred  every  outpost  in  person, 
and  distributed  eagles,  in  great  form,  to  some  new  regi- 
ments which  had  just  joined  him.  The  ceremonial  was 
splendid  ;  the  soldiers  knelt  before  the  emperor,  and  in 
presence  of  all  the  line :  military  mass  was  performed, 
and  the  young  warriors  swore  to  die  rather  than  witness 
the  dishonor  of  France.  Upon  this  scene  the  sun  de- 
scended ;  and  with  it  the  star  of  Napoleon  went  down 
forever. 

At  midnight,  three  rockets,  emitting  a  brilliant  white 
light,  sprung  into  the  heavens  to  the  south  of  the  city ; 
these  marked  the  position  on  which  Schwartzenberg 
(having  now  with  him  the  emperor  of  Austria,  as  well 
as  Alexander  and.  Frederick  William)  had  fixed  his 
head-quarters.  They  were  answered  by  four  rockets 
of  a  deep  red  color,  ascending  on  the  instant  from  the 
northern  horizon ;  and  Napoleon  doubted  not  that  he 
was  to  sustain  on  the  rnorrow  the  assault  of  Blucher 
and  Bernadotte,  as  well  as  of  the  grand  army  of  the 
allies.  Blucher  was  indeed  ready  to  co-operate  with 
Schwartzenberg;  and  though  the  crown-prince  had 
not  yet  reached  his  ground,  the  numerical  superiority 
of  the  enemy  was  very  great.  Bonaparte  had  with 

him,  to  defend  the  line  of  villages   to  the  south  and 
20 


306  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1813 

north  of  Leipsic,  136,000  men  ;  while,  even  in  the  ab- 
sence of  Bernadotte,  who  might  be  hourly  looked  for, 
the  allies  mustered  not  less  than  230,000. 

The  battle  commenced  on  the  southern  side,  at  day- 
break of  the  16th.  The  allies  charged  the  French  line 
there  six  times  in  succession,  and  were  as  often  repel- 
led. Napoleon  then  charged  in  his  turn,  and  with  such 
effect,  that  Murat's  cavalry  were  at  one  time  in  posses- 
sion of  a  great  gap  between  the  two  wings  of  the 
enemy.  The  Cossacks  of  the  Russian  imperial  guard, 
however,  encountered  the  French  horse,  and  pushed 
them  back  again.  The  combat  raged  without  inter- 
mission until  nightfall :  three  cannon  shots,  discharged 
at  the  extremity  of  either  line,  then  marked,  as  if  pre- 
concertedly,  the  pause  of  battle;  and  both  armies 
bivouacked  exactly  where  the  morning  light  had  found 
them.  Such  was  the  issue  on  the  south,  where  Napo- 
leon himself  commanded.  Marmont,  his  lieutenant  on 
the  northern  side,  was  less  fortunate.  Blucher  attack- 
ed him  with  a  vast  superiority  of  numbers :  nothing 
could  be  more  obstinate  than  his  defence ;  but  he  lost 
many  prisoners  and  guns,  was  driven  from  his  original 
ground,  and  occupied,  when  the  day  closed,  a  new  line 
of  positions,  much  nearer  the  walls  of  the  city. 

Gallant  as  the  behavior  of  his  troops  had  been,  the 
result  satisfied  Napoleon  that  he  must  finally  retreat 
from  Leipsic ;  and  he  now  made  a  sincere  effort  to 
obtain  peace.  He  accordingly  sent  a  messenger  with 
proposals  to  the  allied  camps,  but  it  was  now  too  late : 
the  allied  princes  had  sworn  to  each  other  to  entertain 
no  treaty  while  one  French  soldier  remained  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Rhine.  Napoleon  received  no 
answer  to  his  message ;  and  prepared  for  the  difficult 
task  of  retreating  with  100,000  men,  through  a  crowd- 
ed town,  in  presence  of  an  enemy  already  twice  as 
numerous,  and  in  hourly  expectation  of  being  joined  by 
a  third  great  and  victorious  army. 

During  the  17th  the  battle  was  not  renewed,  except 
by  a  distant  and  partial  cannonade.  The  allies  were 
resolved  to  have  the  support  of  Bernadotte  in  the  de- 
cisive contest. 


1813.]  RETREAT    FROM    LEIPS1C.  307 

At  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  18th  it  began,  and 
continued  until  nightfall  without  intermission.  Bona- 
parte had  contracted  on  the  south,  as  well  as  on  the 
north,  the  circuit  of  his  defence;  and  never  was  his 
generalship,  or  the  gallantry  of  his  troops,  more  bril- 
liantly displayed  than  throughout  this  terrible  day. 
Calm  and  collected,  the  emperor  again  presided  in 
person  on  the  southern  side,  and  again,  where  he  was 
present,  in  spite  of  the  vast  superiority  of  the  enemy's 
numbers,  the  French  maintained  their  ground  to  the 
end.  On  the  north,  the  arrival  of  Bernadotte  enabled 
Blucher  to  push  his  advantages  with  irresistible  effect ; 
and  the  situation  of  Marmont  and  Ney  (now  also 
stationed  on  that  side)  was  further  perplexed  by  the 
shameful  defection  of  10,000  Saxons,  who  went  over 
with  all  their  artillery  to  the  enemy,  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  battle.  The  two  marshals,  therefore,  were  compelled 
to  retire  from  point  to  point,  and  at  nightfall  lay  almost 
close  to  the  walls  of  Leipsic,  Three  cannon  shot,  as 
before,  marked  the  general  termination  of  the  battle. 

The  loss  on  either  side  had  been  great.  Napoleon's 
army  consisted  chiefly  of  very  young  men — many  were 
merely  boys — the  produce  of  his  fore-stalled  conscrip- 
tions :  yet  they  fought  as  bravely  as  the  guard.  The 
behavior  of  the  Germans,  on  the  other  hand,  at  length 
considering  their  freedom  and  independence  as  hanging 
on  the  fortune  of  a  single  field,  had  been  answerable  to 
the  deep  enthusiasm  of  that  thoughtful  people.  The 
burghers  of  Leipsic  surveyed  from  their  towers  and 
steeples  one  of  the  longest,  sternest,  and  bloodiest  of 
battles  :  and  the  situation  of  the  king  of  Saxony,  who 
remained  all  the  while  in  the  heart  of  his  ancient  city, 
may  be  imagined. 

Napoleon  gave  orders  at  midnight  for  the  commence- 
ment of  the  inevitable  retreat ;  and  while  the  darkness 
lasted,  the  troops  continued  to  file  through  the  town, 
and  across  the  two  bridges,  over  the  Pleisse,  beyond 
its  walls.  One  of  these  bridges  was  a  temporary  fabric, 
and  it  broke  down  ere  daylight  came  to  show  to  the 
enemy  the  movement  of  the  French.  The  confusion 
necessarily  accompanying  the  march  of  a  whole  army, 


308  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1813, 

through  narrow  streets  and  upon  a  single  bridge,  was. 
fearful.  The  allies  stormed  at  the  gates  on  either  side, 
and  but  for  the  heroism  of  Macdonald  and  Poniatow- 
ski,  to  whom  Napoleon  intrusted  the  defence  of  the 
suburbs,  it  is  doubted  whether  he  himself  could  have 
escaped  in  safety.  At  nine  in  the  morning  of  the  19th. 
he  bade  farewell  forever  to  the  king  of  Saxony,  who 
remained  to  make  what  terms  he  could  with  the  allied 
sovereigns.  The  battle  was  ere  then  raging  all  round 
the  walls. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  allies  had  gathered  close  to  the 
bridge  from  either  wing ;  and  the  walls  over  against  it 
had  been  intrusted  to  Saxons,  who  now,  like  their 
brethren  of  the  day  before,  turned  their  fire  on  the 
French.  The  officer  to  whom  Napoleon  had  commit- 
ted the  task  of  blowing  up  the  bridge,  when  the  advance 
of  the  enemy  should  render  this  necessary,  conceived 
that  the  time  was  come,  and  set  fire  to  his  train.  The 
crowd  of  men,  urging  each  other  on  the  point  of  safety, 
could  not  at  once  be  stopped.  Soldiers  and  horses, 
cannons  and  wains,  rolled  headlong  into  the  deep 
though  narrow  river ;  which  renewed,  though  on  a 
smaller  scale,  the  horrors  of  the  Beresina.  Marshal 
Macdonald  swam  the  stream  in  safety ;  the  gallant 
Poniatowski,  the  hope  and  pride  of  Poland,  had  been 
twice  wounded  ere  he  plunged  his  horse  into  the  cur- 
rent, and  he  sunk  to  rise  no  more.  Twenty-five  thou- 
sand Frenchmen,  the  means  of  escape  entirely  cut  off, 
laid  down  their  arms  within  the  city.  Four  sovereigns, 
each  entering  at  the  head  of  his  own  victorious  army, 
met  at  noon  in  the  great  market-place  of  Leipsic  :  and 
all  the  exultation  of  that  solemn  hour  would  have  been 
partaken  by  the  inhabitants,  but  for  the  fate  of  their 
own  sovereign,  personally  esteemed  and  beloved,  who 
now  vainly  entreated  to  be  admitted  to  the  presence 
of  the  conquerors,  and  was  sent  forthwith  as  a  prison- 
er of  war  to  Berlin. 

Napoleon,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  lost  at 
Leipsic  at  least  50,000  men. 

The  retreat  of  the  French  through  Saxony  was  ac- 
companied with  every  disaster  which  a  hostile  peasan- 


1813.]  BATTLE    OF    HANAU.  309 

try,  narrowness  of  supplies,  and  the  persevering  pur- 
suits  of  the  Cossacks  and  other  light  troops  could  inflict 
on  a  disordered  and  disheartened  mass  of  men.  The 
soldiers  moved  on,  while  under  the  eye  of  Napoleon, 
in  gloomy  silence :  wherever  he  was  not  present,  they 
set  every  rule  of  discipline  at  naught,  and  were  guilty 
of  the  most  frightful  excesses.  The  emperor  conduct- 
ed himself  as  became  a  great  mind  amid  great  misfor- 
tunes. He  appeared  at  all  times  calm  and  self-possess- 
ed ;  receiving,  every  day  that  he  advanced,  new  tidings 
of  evil. 

He  halted  two  days  at  Erfurt,  where  extensive  maga- 
zines had  been  established,  employing  all  his  energies 
in  the  restoration  of  discipline ;  and  would  have  re- 
mained longer,  had  he  not  learned  that  the  victors  of 
Leipsic  were  making  progress  on  either  flank  of  his 
march,  while  the  Bavarians  (so  recently  his  allies)  re- 
inforced by  some  Austrian  divisions,  were  moving 
rapidly  to  take  post  between  him  and  the  Rhine.  He 
resumed  his  march,  therefore,  on  the  25th.  It  was 
here  that  Murat  quitted  the  army.  Notwithstanding 
the  unpleasant  circumstances  under  which  he  had  re- 
tired to  Naples  in  January,  Joachim  had  re-appeared 
when  the  emperor  fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Dres- 
den in  the  summer,  and  served  with  his  usual  gallantry 
throughout  the  rest  of  the  campaign.  The  state  of 
Italy  now  demanded  his  presence  ;  and  the  two  broth- 
ers-in-law, after  all  their  differences,  embraced  each 
other  warmly  and  repeatedly  at  parting — as  if  under  a 
mutual  presentiment  that  they  were  parting  to  meet 
no  more. 

The  Austro-Bavarians  had  taken  up  a  position  amid 
the  woods  near  Hanauere  the  emperor  approached  the 
Mayne.  He  came  up  with  them  in  the  morning  of 
the  30th,  and  his  troops  charged  on  the  instant  with 
the  fury  of  desperation.  Bonaparte  cut  his  way  through 
ere  nightfall,  and  Marmont,  with  the  rear,  had  equal 
success  on  the  31st.  In  these  actions  there  fell  6000 
of  the  French  ;  but  the  enemy  had  10,000  killed  or 
wounded,  and  lost  4000  prisoners,  and  these  losses 
would  have  been  far  greater  but  for  the  ready  wit  of  a. 


310  NAPOLEON    B(  NAPARTE.  [1813—14. 

patriotic  miller,  who,  watching  the  tide  of  battle,  sud- 
denly let  the  water  into  his  mill-stream,  and  thus  inter- 
posed a  seasonable  obstacle  between  the  French  cavalry 
and  some  German  infantry,  whom  they  had  been  dri- 
ving before  them:  a  service  which  the*  king  of  Prussia 
subsequently  rewarded  with  munificence. 

The  pursuit  on  the  road  which  Napoleon  adopted 
had  been  intrusted  to  the  Austrians;  who  urged  it  with 
far  less  vigor  than  the  Prussians  under  the  fiery  gui- 
dance of  Blucher  would  probably  have  exerted.  No 
considerable  annoyance,  therefore,  succeeded  to  the 
battle  of  Hanau.  The  relics  of  the  French  host  at 
length  passed  the  Rhine  ;  and  the  emperor,  having 
quitted  them  at  Mentz,  arrived  in  Paris  on  the  9th  of 


Of  the  events  which  crowded  upon  each  other  in  the 
space  of  a  few  weeks  after  the  overthrow  of  Leipsic, 
any  one  would  in  times  less  extraordinary  have  been 
sufficient  to  form  an  epoch  in  history.  Having  once 
reached  the  summit  of  his  greatness,  the  long-favored 
child  of  fortune  was  destined  to  sink  even  more  rapidly 
than  he  had  ascended.  Every  day  added  some  new 
alliance  to  the  camp  of  his  foreign  enemies  ;  and  every 
hour  that  passed  brought  with  it  clearer  indications  that 
the  French  nation  (considered  apart  from  the  army) 
were  weary  utterly  of  the  very  names  of  War,  and  Am- 
bition, and  Napoleon. 

The  fabric  of  his  German  empire  crumbled  into 
nothing,  as  at  the  spell  of  a  magician.  Hanover  re- 
turned to  the  dominion  of  its  rightful  sovereign  imme- 
diately. Brunswick,  Hesse,  and  the  other  states  which 
had  formed  Jerome's  kingdom  of  Westphalia,  followed 
the  same  example.  The  confederation  of  the  Rhine 
was  dissolved  forever  ;  and  the  princes  who  had  adhered 
to  that  league  were  permitted  to  expiate  their,  in  most 
cases  involuntary,  error,  by  now  bringing  a  year's 
revenue  and  a  double  conscription  to  the  banner  of 
the  allies.  Bernadotte  turned  from  Leipsic  to  reduce 
the  garrisons  which  Napoleon,  in  the  rashness  of  his 
presumption,  had  disdained  to  call  in,  even  when  com- 
pelled to  evacuate  Dresden  ;  and  one  by  one  they  fell, 


1813—14.]  HOLLAND ITALY.  31  I 

though  in  most  cases — particularly  at  Dantzic,  Wit- 
temberg,  and  Hamburg — the  resistance  was  obstinate 
and  long.  The  crown-prince,  having  witnessed  the 
reduction  of  some  of  these  fortresses,  and  intrusted  the 
siege  of  the  others  to  his  lieutenants,  then  invaded  Den- 
mark, and  the  government  of  that  country  perceived 
the  necessity  of  acceding  to  the  European  alliance,  by 
whatever  fine  its  long  adhesion  to  Napoleon  might  be 
expiated.  The  treaty  was  concluded  at  Keil,  on  the 
14th  of  January,  1814.  Sweden  yielded  Pomerania  to 
Denmark;  Denmark  gave  up  Norway  to  Sweden  ;  and 
10,000  Danish  troops  having  joined  his  standard,  Ber- 
nadotte  then  turned  his  face  towards  the  Netherlands. 

In  Holland,  no  sooner  had  the  story  of  Leipsic  reached 
it  than  a  complete,  though  bloodless,  revolution  was 
effected.  The  cry  of  orange  boven,  "  up  with  the 
orange,"  burst  simultaneously  from  every  part  of  the 
country :  the  French  governors,  yielding  to  a  power 
which  they  perceived  the  absurdity  of  attempting  to 
resist,  retired  on  the  instant,  and  the  long-exiled  stadt- 
holder,  the  prince  of  Orange,  returned  in  triumph  from 
England,  assumed  the  administration  of  affairs  in  No- 
vember, 1813.  A  few  French  garrisons  remained  shut 
up  in  strong  places,  of  which  the  most  important  was 
Bergen-up-Zoom ;  and  Bernadotte  now  co-operated 
with  the  Russian  corps  of  Witzengerode,  the  Prussians 
of  Bulow,  and  a  British  force  of  10,000,  under  Sir  T. 
Graham,  with  the  view  of  completing  the  deliverance 
of  Holland  ;  which  was  ere  long  effected,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Bergen-up-Zoom,  from  whose  walls  the 
English  were  repulsed  with  dreadful  slaughter. 

On  the  side  of  Italy  the  aspect  of  affairs  was  almost 
as  dark.  General  Hiller,  having  conducted  an  Austrian 
army  through  the  Tyrol,  as  soon  as  the  decision  of  his 
government  was  taken,  had  defeated  Eugene  Beauhar- 
nais,  and  driven  him  behind  the  Adige.  The  Croats, 
the  Tyrolese,  all  the  Illyrians  were  rising,  and — so  far 
from  giving  aid  in  the  defence  of  the  French  soil — it  was 
manifest  that  the  viceroy  could  hardly  hope  to  main- 
tain himself  much  longer  in  Lombardy.  An  English 
naval  force  had  already  taken  Trieste :  the  Adriatic 


312  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.       [1813-14 

was  free ;  and  to  complete  Napoleon's  perplexity  as  to 
this  quarter,  it  was  no  longer  a  secret  that  Murat,  his 
brother-in-law,  his  creature,  was  negotiating  with 
Austria,  and  willing,  provided  Naples  were  guaranteed 
to  him,  to  array  the  force  of  that  state  also  on  the  side 
of  the  confederacy. 

As  little  comfort  could  Bonaparte  derive,  if  he 
turned  to  the  Pyrenees.  He  had  sent  Soult  thither 
from  Dresden,  to  retrieve  if  possible  the  disasters  in  the 
peninsula ;  and  that  most  able  general,  with  consider- 
able reinforcements,  had  entered  Spain,  and  attempted 
to  relieve  the  siege  of  Pamplona — of  which  strong 
place,  as  well  as  St.  Sebastian,  lord  Wellington  had  re- 
solved to  be  master  ere  he  should  pass  the  French  fron- 
tier with  his  victorious  army.  But  Soult  had  also  been 
twice  defeated  :  the  fortresses  had  fallen  :  except  a  de- 
tached and  now  useless  force  under  Suchet  in  Catalonia, 
there  remained  no  longer  a  single  French  soldier  in 
Spain.  The  peninsula  had  at  length  been  delivered  by 
the  genius  of  Wellington  ;  and  his  army  were  cantoned 
within  the  territory  of  France  ere  the  close  of  the  cam- 
paign. Such  were  the  tidings  which  reached  Napoleon 
from  his  Italian  and  Spanish  frontiers,  at  the  very  mo- 
ment when  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  make  head 
against  the  Russians,  the  Austrians,  and  the  Germans, 
now  rapidly  concentrating  in  three  great  masses  on 
different  points  of  the  valley  of  the  Rhine. 

Nor  were  even  these  the  worst  tidings.  Internal 
dangers  of  no  slight  moment  began  to  threaten  him. 
The  royalists  were  laboring  extensively  and  assiduously 
for  his  deposition,  and  his  recent  disasters  had  added 
incalculably  to  their  strength.  The  republicans,  with 
hardly  less  delight  than  the  royalists,  had  observed  the 
reverses  of  the  two  last  campaigns,  and  were  busily 
working  for  the  emperor's  overthrow.  In  addition  to 
these,  some  of  Napoleon's  own  ministers  and  generals, 
irritated  by  his  personal  violence,  and  hopeless  of  breath- 
ing in  peace  while  that  fierce  and  insatiable  spirit  con- 
tinued at  the  head  of  affairs,  were  well  prepared  to  take 
a  part  in  his  overthrow ;  nor  was  it  long  ere  all  these 
internal  enemies,  at  whatever  distance  their  principles 


1813-14. J  MANIFESTO    OP    THE    ALLIES.  313 

and  motives  might  have  seemed  to  place  them  from 
each  other,  were  content  to  overlook  their  differences 
and  work  together.  Talleyrand,  there  can  be  little 
doubt,  and  others  only  second  to  him  in  influence,  were 
in  communication  with  the  Bourbons,  before  the  allies 
crossed  the  Rhine.  Ere  then,  said  Napoleon  at  St. 
Helena,  I  felt  the  reins  slipping  from  my  hands. 

The  allied  princes  issued,  at  Frankfort  on  the  Maine, 
a  manifesto,  the  firm  and  temperate  language  of  which 
was  calculated  to  make  a  strong  impression  in  France, 
as  well  as  elsewere.  The  sovereigns  announced  their 
belief  that  it  was  for  the  interest  of  Europe  that  France 
should  continue  to  be  a  powerful  state,  and  their  wil- 
lingness to  concede  to  her,  even  now,  greater  extent  of 
territory  than  the  Bourbon  kings  had  ever  claimed — 
the  boundaries,  namely,  of  the  Rhine,  of  the  Alps,  and 
the  Pyrenees.  Their  sole  object  in  invading  France 
was  to  put  an  end  to  the  authority  which  Napoleon  had 
usurped  over  other  nations.  They  disclaimed  any  wish 
to  interfere  with  the  internal  government — it  was  the 
right  of  the  nation  to  arrange  that  as  they  pleased  ;  the 
hostility  of  Europe  was  against,  not  France,  but  Napo- 
leon— and  even  as  to  Napoleon,  against,  not  his  person, 
but  his  system.  The  same  terms  were  tendered  to 
Napoleon  himself,  through  M.  de  St.  Aignan,  one  of 
his  own  ministers,  who  happened  to  have  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  allies  at  Weimar:  and  his  answer  was 
such  that  diplomatists  from  all  the  belligerent  powers 
forthwith  assembled  at  Manheim ; — lord  Aberdeen  ap- 
pearing on  the  part  of  the  government  of  England — a 
circumstance  of  itself  sufficient  to  give  to  these  new 
conferences  a  character  of  greater  promise  than  had 
attended  any  of  recent  date. 

But  although  Napoleon  authorized  Caulaincourt  to 
commence  this  negotiation  on  his  behalf,  it  was  very 
soon  manifest  that  he  did  so  merely,  as  before,  for  the 
purpose  of  gaining  time.  His  military  preparations 
were  urged  with  unremitting  energy.  New  conscrip- 
tions were  called  for,  and  granted:  every  arsenal  re- 
sounded with  the  fabrication  of  arms  ;  and  all  the  taxes 
were  at  once  doubled  bv  an  imperial  decree.  The 

14  * 


314  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1813—14 

enslaved  press  proclaimed  that  the  national  ardor  was 
thoroughly  stirred,  and  with  its  thousand  voices  re- 
minded the  allies  of  the  effects  of  the  duke  of  Bruns- 
wick's proclamation  when  about  to  touch  the  sacred 
soil  of  France  in  1793. 

But  the  enthusiasm  of  the  revolutionary  period  was 
gone  by.  In  vain  did  Napoleon  send  special  agents 
through  the  departments,  calling  on  Frenchmen  of  all 
classes  to  rise  in  arms  for  the  protection  of  the  soil. 
Coldness,  languor,  distrust,  met  them  almost  every- 
where. The  numerical  results  even  of  the  conscrip- 
tion-levy were  far  under  what  they  should  have  been : 
and  of  those  who  did  enroll  themselves,  multitudes 
daily  deserted,  and  not  a  few  took  part  with  the  royalist 
bands  who  were  mustering  and  training  zealously  in 
almost  every  district  that  was  either  strong  by  nature, 
or  remote  from  the  great  military  establishments  of 
Bonaparte.  Nay,  even  the  legislative  senate,  so  long 
the  silent  and  submissive  slaves  of  all  his  imperial  man- 
dates, now  dared  to  testify  some  sympathy  with  the 
feelings  of  the  people,  whom,  in  theory  at  least,  they 
were  supposed  to  represent.  This  was  a  novelty  for 
which  Napoleon  had  not  been  prepared,  and  he  received 
it  in  a  manner  very  little  likely  to  conciliate  the  at- 
tachment of  wavering  men.  They  ventured  to  hint 
that  ancient  France  would  remain  to  him,  even  if  he 
accepted  the  proposals  of  the  allies,  and  that  Louis 
XIV.,  when  he  desired  to  rouse  the  French  people  in  his 
behalf  in  a  moment  of  somewhat  similar  disaster,  had 
not  disdained  to  detail  openly  the  sincere  efforts  which 
he  had  made  to  obtain  an  honorable  peace.  "  Shame 
on  you !"  cried  the  emperor.  "  Wellington  has  entered 
the  south,  the  Russians  menace  the  northern  frontier, 
the  Prussians,  Austrians,  and  Bavarians  the  eastern. 
Shame!  Wellington  is  in  France,  and  we  have  not 
risen  en  masse  to  drive  him  back !  All  my  allies  have 
deserted — the  Bavarian  has  betrayed  me.  No  peace 
till  we  have  burned  Munich !  I  demand  a  levy  of 
300,000  men — with  this  and  what  I  already  have,  I  shall 
see  a  million  in  arms.  I  will  form  a  camp  of  100,000  at 
Bourdeaux ;  another  at  Mentz  ;  a  third  at  Lyons.  But 


1813-14.]  THE    LEGISLATIVE    SENATE.  315 

1  must  have  grown  men — these  boys  serve  only  to 
encumber  .  the  hospitals  and  the  roadsides. ..  .Aban- 
don Holland!  sooner  yield  it  back  to  the  sea!  Sena- 
tors, an  impulse  must  be  given — all  must  march — you 
are  fathers  of  families,  the  heads  of  the  nation — you 
must  set  the  example.  Peace!  I  hear  of  nothing  but 
peace,  when  all  around  should  echo  to  the  cry  of  war." 

The  senate,  nevertheless,  drew  up  and  presented  a 
report  which  renewed  his  wrath.  He  reproached  them 
openly  with  desiring  to  purchase  inglorious  ease  for 
themselves  at  the  expense  of  his  honor ;  and  having 
done  this  he  repaired  to  his  council  of  state,  and  there 
denounced  the  legislative  senate,  as  composed  of  one 
part  of  traitors  and  eleven  of  dupes.  In  place  of  as- 
sisting, said  he,  they  impede  me.  Our  attitude  alone 
could  have  repelled  the  enemy — they  invite  him.  We 
should  have  presented  a  front  of  brass — they  lay  open 
wounds  to  his  view.  I  will  not  suffer  their  report  to 
be  printed.  They  have  not  done  their  duty,  but  I  will 
do  mine — /  dissolve  the  legislative  senate.  And  the 
emperor  did  accordingly  issue  his  decree,  proroguing 
indefinitely  that  assembly,  the  last  feeble  shadow  of 
popular  representation  in  France. 

The  greatest  confusion  already  began  to  pervade 
almost  every  department  of  the  public  service.  The 
orders  of  the  government  were  more  peremptory  than 
ever,  and  they  were  hourly  more  neglected.  Whole 
bands  of  conscripts,  guilty  of  endeavoring  to  escape, 
were  tried  by  military  commissions  and  decimated. 
Everi  close  to  the  barriers  of  Paris  such  executions 
were  constantly  going  on ;  and  all  in  vain.  The  gen- 
eral feeling  was  that  of  sullen  indifference.  Hireling 
musicians  paraded  the  streets,  singing  fire-new  ballads 
in  honor  of  the  emperor,  to  the  long-forgotten  tune  of 
$a  ira ;  the  passengers  gathered  round  them,  and 
drowned  the  strains  in  hooting  and  laughter.  In  every 
saloon,  discussions  such  as  the  police  had  long  sup- 
pressed were  urged  without  ceremony.  This  will  not 
continue  ;  the  chord  is  too  much  stretched — it  will  soon 
be  over ;  such  was  the  universal  language.  Talleyrand, 
hearing  an  officer  express  his  alarm  and  astonishment, 


316  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1813-14. 

made  answer,  in  words  which  have  passed  into  a  prov- 
erb : — It  is  the  beginning  of  the  end. 

During  this  uneasy  pause,  Napoleon  at  last  dismissed 
the  pope,  whom  he  had  continued  to  keep  a  prisoner  at 
Fontamebleau.  It  is  not  unlikely  that,  in  the  altered 
state  of  Italy,  he  thought  the  arrival  of  his  holiness  might 
tend  to  produce  some  dissension  among  his  enemies  in 
that  quarter;  and,  in  effect,  when  Pius  reached  Rome, 
he  found  the  capital  of  the  Catholic  world  in  the  hands 
of  Mural,  who  had  ere  then  concluded  his  treaty  with 
Francis,  and  was  advancing  into  the  north  of  Italy,  jn 
the  view  of  co-operating  in  the  campaign  against 
Beauharnais,  with  the  Austrians  on  the  one  side,  and 
on  the  other  with  an  English  force  recently  landed  at 
Leghorn,  under  lord  William  Bentinck. 

He  also  unlocked  the  gates  of  Valencay  on  Ferdi- 
nand of  Spain.  He  informed  him  that  the  English 
were  spreading  jacobin  principles  in  Spain,  and  at- 
tacking the  foundations  of  the  throne,  the  aristocracy, 
and  the  church  ;  and  that  he,  therefore,  was  anxious  to 
see  him  at  the  head  of  affairs  in  the  kingdom,  provided 
he  would  expel  the  English,  and  re-establish  its  rela- 
tions with  France,  on  the  footing  of  the  peace  which 
gave  Godoy  his  title.  Ferdinand  durst  not  execute  any 
treaty  without  consulting  the  cortes.  They  disdained 
to  treat  at  all  with  Napoleon.  He  then  liberated  the 
king  unconditionally ;  and  after  five  years'  captivity, 
Ferdinand  re-entered  Spain,  amid  the  all  but  universal 
acclamations  of  a  nation  who  had  bled  at  every  pore  in 
his  cause,  and  whom  his  government  was  destined  ere 
long  to  satisfy  that  they  had  bled  in  vain.  Napoleon, 
no  doubt,  understood  well  what  sort  of  a  present  he 
was  conferring  on  the  Spaniards  when  he  restored  Ferdi- 
nand, and  probably  calculated  that  his  arrival  would  fill 
the  country  with  civil  tumults,  sufficient  to  paralyze  its 
arm  for  foreign  war.  And  had  the  king  returned  but  a 
year  earlier,  such,  in  all  likelihood,  would  have  been  the 
consequences.  Once  more  Napoleon  was  too  late  in 
doing  good,  that  evil  might  follow. 

For  some  time,  thanks  to  the  slavery  of  the  Parisian 
press,  the  population  of  the  capital  remained  in  igno- 


1814. J  THE    ALLIES    ENTER    FRANCE.  317 

ranee  as  to  the  proceedings  of  the  allies  on  the  Rhine 
Indeed — such  was  still  the  influence  of  the  emperor's 
military  reputation — the  inhabitants  of  the  French  prov- 
inces on  that  frontier  continued  to  believe  it  impossible 
that  any  foreign  army  should  dare  to  invade  their  soil, 
until  they  that  had  ears  to  hear  and  eyes  to  see  were 
perforce  undeceived.  Schwartzenberg,  with  the  grand 
army,  at  length  crossed  the  Rhine,  between  Basle  and 
Schaffhausen,  on  the  20th  of  December,  and  disregard- 
ing the  claim  of  the  Swiss  to  preserve  neutrality,  ad- 
vanced through  that  territory  unopposed,  and  began  to 
show  themselves  in  Franche-Comte,  in  Burgundy,  even 
to  the  gates  of  Dijon.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1814, 
the  Silesian  army,  under  Blucher,  crossed  the  river  at 
various  points  between  Rastadt  and  Coblenlz;  and 
shortly  after,  the  army  of  the  north,  commanded  by 
Witzengerode  and  Bulow  (for  Bernadotte  declined 
having  any  part  in  the  actual  invasion  of  France), 
began  to  penetrate  the  frontier  of  the  Netherlands. 
The  wealthier  inhabitants  of  -the  invaded  provinces 
escaped  to  Paris,  bearing  with  them  these  tidings;  the 
English  detenus  of  Verdun  were  seen  traversing  the 
capital  on  their  route  to  more  distant  quarters;  the 
state  prisoners  of  Vincennes  itself,  under  the  walls  of 
Paris,  were  removed.  The  secret,  in  a  word,  could  no 
longer  be  kept.  It  was  known  to  every  one  that  the 
Pyrenees  had  been  crossed  by  Wellington,  and  the 
Rhine  by  three  mighty  hosts,  amounting  together  to 
300..000  men,  and  including  representatives  of  every 
tongue  and  tribe  from  the  Germans  of  Westphalia  to 
the  wildest  barbarians  of  Tartary.  Persons  of  condi- 
tion despatched  their  plate  and  valuables  to  places  at  a 
distance  from  the  capital ;  many  whole  families  removed 
daily  ;  and  the  citizens  of  Paris  were  openly  engnged  in 
laying  up  stores  of  flour  and  salted  provisions,  in  con- 
templation of  a  siege. 

The  violation  of  the  Swiss  territory  was  in  itself  in- 
defensible;  but  he  who  had  so  often  disdained  all  rules 
of  that  kind  in  his  own  person,  could  hardly  hope  to  be 
listened  to  when  he  complained  of  Schwartzenberg's 
proceeding.  The  allied  generals,  moreover,  proclaimed 


318  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1814. 

everywhere  as  they  advanced,  that  they  came  as  trie- 
friends  not  the  enemies  of  the  French  nation,  and  that 
any  of  the  peasantry  who  took  up  arms  to  oppose  them 
must  be  content  to  abide  the  treatment  of  brigands. 
This  assuredly  was  a  flagrant  outrage  against  the  most 
sacred  and  inalienable  right  of  mankind  :  but  Napoleon 
had  set  the  fatal  example  himself  in  Lombardy,  and  fol- 
lowed it  without  a  blush  in  Italy,  in  Egypt,  in  Germany. 
in  Spain,  in  Portugal,  and  but  yesterday  in  Russia. 
Here  also,  therefore,  his  reclamations  moved  no  feeling 
favorable  to  himself;  and  the  time  was  gone  by  when 
the  French  people  would  have  been  ready  to  take  fire 
at  so  lawless  an  aggression  upon  their  national  rights. 
There  were  some  few  scattered  instances  of  resistance; 
but  in  general,  the  first  advance  of  the  allies  was  re- 
garded with  indifference ;  and  it  was  only  at  a  later 
period,  when  the  invading  generals  were  no  longer  able 
to  maintain  strict  discipline  among  their  barbarous 
hordes  of  horsemen,  then  scattered  over  a  wide  extent  of 
country,  that  the  sense  of  individual  suffering  afforded 
even  a  glimpse  of  hope  to  Napoleon,  and  those  who, 
like  him,  were  eager  to  oppose  a  national  insurrection 
to  the  allied  march. 

Meantime,  nearer  and  nearer  every  day  the  torrent 
of  invasion  rolled  on — sweeping  before  it,  from  post  to 
post,  the  various  corps  which  had  been  left  to  watch 
the  Rhine.  Marmont,  Mortier,  Victor,  and  Ney,  com- 
manding in  all  about  50,000  men,  retired  of  necessity 
before  the  enemy.  It  had  been  considered  as  cer- 
tain that  much  time  must  be  occupied  with  the  be- 
sieging of  the  great  fortresses  on  the  Rhenish  frontier. 
But  it  was  now  apparent  that  the  allies  had  resolved  to 
carry  the  war  into  the  interior,  without  waiting  for  the 
reduction  of  these  formidable  outworks.  Their  num- 
bers were  such  that  they  could  afford  to  mask  them, 
and  still  pass  on  with  hosts  overwhelmingly  superior  to 
all  those  of  Napoleon's  lieutenants.  These  withdrew, 
and  with  them,  and  behind  them,  came  crowds  of  the 
rustic  population  possessing  any  means  of  transport. 
Carts  and  wagons,  crammed  with  terrified  women  and 
children,  thronged  every  avenue  to  the  capital.  It  was 


1814.]  INVASION    OF    FRANCE.  319 

at  last  necessary  that  the  emperor  should  break  silence 
to  the  Parisians,  and  reappear  in  the  field. 

The  invasion  of  France,  however,  rallied  around  Na- 
poleon some  persons  of  eminence  who  had  long  hung 
aloof  from  him,  Carnot  in  particular,  who,  ever  since 
he  opposed  the  assumption  of  the  imperial  title,  had  re- 
mained in  retirement,  came  forward  to  offer  his  sword 
in  what  he  now  considered  as  the  cause  of  his  country. 
Nor  did  Bonaparte  fail  to  receive  such  proposals"  as 
they  deserved.  He  immediately  sent  his  old  enemy  to 
command  the  great  city  and  fortress  of  Antwerp :  and 
similar  instances  of  manly  confidence  might  be  men- 
tioned to  his  honoj. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  the  first  official  news  of  the 
invasion  appeared;  the  Moniteur  announced  that 
Schwartzenberg  had  entered  Switzerland  on  the  20th 
of  December,  and  that  Blucher  also  had  crossed  the 
Rhine  on  the  first  day  of  the  year  :  thus  confessing 
openly  the  deliberate  deceit  of  its  previous  silence. 
The  next  morning,  being  Sunday,  the  officers  of  the 
national  guard  were  summoned  to  the  Tuileries.  They 
lined  the  saloon  of  the  marshals,  to  the  number  of  900, 
altogether  ignorant  of  the  purpose  for  which  they  had 
been  convoked.  The  emperor  took  his  station  in  the 
centre  of  the  hall ;  and  immediately  afterward  the  em- 
press, with  the  king  of  Rome  (carried  in  the  arms  of 
countess  Montesquiou),  appeared  at  his  side.  "  Gen- 
tlemen," said  Napoleon,  "  France  is  invaded ;  I  go  to 
put  myself  at  the  head  of  my  troops,  and,  with  God's 
help  and  their  valor,  I  hope  soon  to  drive  the  enemy 
beyond  the  frontier."  Here  he  took  Maria  Louisa  in 
one  hand  and  her  son  in  the  other,  and  continued — 
"  But  if  they  should  approach  the  capital,  I  confide  to 
the  national  guard  the  empress  and  the  king  of  Rome" 
— then  correcting  himself,  he  said  in  a  tone  of  strong 
emotion — "  my  wife  and  my  child''  Several  officers 
stepped  from  their  places  and  approached  him ;  and 
tears  were  visible  on  the  cheeks  even  of  those  who 
were  known  to  be  no  worshippers  of  the  emperor,  or 
hearty  supporters  of  his  cause. 

Napoleon  spent  part  of  the  24th  of  January  in  re- 


320  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1814 

viewing  troops  in  the  court- yard  of  the  Tuileries,  in 
the  midst  of  a  fall  of  snow,  which  must  have  called 
up  ominous  recollections,  and  at  three  in  the  morning 
of  the  25th  once  more  left  his  capital.  He  had  again 
appointed  Maria  Louisa  regent,  placed  his  brother 
Joseph  at  the  head  of  her  council,  and  given  orders  for 
raising  military  defences  around  Paris, and  for  convert- 
ing many  public  buildings  into  hospitals.  He  set  off 
in  visible  dejection  ;  but  recovered  all  his  energy  on 
reaching  once  more  the  congenial  atmosphere  of  arms. 

He  arrived  at  Chalons  ere  midnight;  and  found  that 
Schwartzenberg  and  Blucher,  having  severally  passed 
through  Franche-Comte  and  Lorraine,  were  now  occu- 
pying— the  former  with  97,000  men,  the  latter  with 
40,000 — an  almost  complete  line  between  the  Marne 
and  the  Seine.  Blucher  was  in  his  own  neighborhood, 
and  he  immediately  resolved  to  attack  the  right  of  the 
Silesian  army,  which  was  pushing  down  the  valley  of 
the  Marne,  while  its  centre  kept  the  parallel  course  of 
the  Aube,  ere  the  Prussian  marshal  could  concentrate 
all  his  own  strength,  far  less  be  adequately  supported 
from  the  side  of  Schwartzenberg,  who  was  advancing 
down  the  Seine  towards  Bar.  A  sharp  skirmish  took 
place  accordingly  on  the  27th,  at  St.  Dizier ;  and 
Blucher,  warned  of  Napoleon's  arrival,  lost  no  time  in 
calling  in  his  detachments,  and  taking  a  post  of  defence 
at  Brienne-le-Chateau  on  the  Aube — the  same  town 
where  Bonaparte  had  receivd  his  military  education. 
Could  Napoleon  force  him  from  the  Aube,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  French  would  be  enabled  to  interpose 
themselves  effectually  between  the  two  armies  of  the 
allies  :  and  it  was  most  necessary  to  divide  the  enemy's 
strength,  for  after  all  his  exertions,  Napoleon  had  been 
able  to  add  only  20,000  good  troops  to  the  50,000  who 
had  been  retiring  before  the  allied -columns  from  the 
course  of  the  Rhine. 

Napoleon,  therefore,  marched  through  a  thick  forest 
upon  the  scene  of  his  youthful  studies,  and  appeared 
there  on  the  29th  ; — having  moved  so  rapidly  that 
Blucher  was  at  dinner  in  the  chateau,  when  the  French 
thundered  at  its  gates,  and  with  difficulty  escaped  to 


1814.]         BATTLE  OF  LA  ROTHIERE.  321 

the  rear  through  a  postern — actually  leading  his  horse 
down  a  stair.  The  Russians,  however,  under  Alsusieff, 
maintained  their  place  in  the  town  courageously  ;  and, 
some  Cossacks  throwing  themselves  upon  the  rear  of 
the  French,  the  emperor  was  himself  involved  in  the 
melee,  drew  his  sword,  and  fought  like  a  private  dra- 
goon. General  Gourgaud  s!  ot  a  Cossack  when  in  the 
act  of  thrusting  his  spear  at  Napoleon's  back.  The 
town  of  Brienne  was  burnt  to  the  ground  ;  AlsusiefF 
was  made  prisoner.  Lefebvre  Desnouettes  died  ;  and 
there  was  considerable  slaughter  on  both  sides  ;  but 
the  affair  had  no  result  of  importance.  Blucher  re- 
tired but  a  little  farther  up  the  Aube,  and  posted  him- 
self at  La  Rothiere,  where  Schwartzenberg,  warned 
by  the  cannonade,  hastened  to  co-operate  with  him. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  Blucher,  in  his  turn,  assum- 
ed the  offensive,  assaulting  the  French  position  in  his 
front  at  once  on  three  several  points.  The  battle 
lasted  all  day,  and  ended  in  the  defeat  of  the  French, 
who,  with  the  loss  of  4000  prisoners  and  seventy-three 
guns,  escaped  from  the  field  in  such  disorder  that,  ac- 
cording to  Napoleon's  own  avowal  at  St.  Helena,  he 
had  serious  thoughts  of  putting  an  end  to  the  war  by 
voluntarily  resigning  the  crown  to  the  heir  of  the 
Bourbons.  However  this  may  have  been,  while  the 
division  of  Marmont  retired  down  the  Aube  before 
Blucher,  Napoleon  himself  struck  across  the  country 
to  Troyes,  which  there  was  every  reason  to  fear  must 
be  immediately  occupied  by  Schwartzenberg;  and  was 
there  joined  by  a  considerable  body  of  his  own  guard, 
in  high  order  and  spirits,  whose  appearance  restored,  in 
a  great  measure,  the  confidence  of  the  troops  beaten 
at  La  Rothiere. 

On  the  3d,  he  received  at  Troyes  a  despatch  from 
Caulaincourt,  informing  him  that  lord  Castlereagh,  the 
English  secretary  of  state  for  foreign  affairs,  had  arriv- 
ed at  the  head-quarters  of  the  allies — that  negotiations 
were  to  be  resumed  the  morning  after  at  Chatillon 
(now  in  the  rear  of  the  armies) — and  beseeching  him 
to  intimate  distinctly  at  what  price  he  was  now  willing 
to  purchase  peace.  Napoleon  replied,  by  granting 

21 


322  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1814. 

Caulaincourt  full  powers  to  do  everything  necessary 
"  to  keep  the  negotiation  alive,  and  save  the  capital." 
But  the  duke  of  Vicenza  durst  not  act  immediately  on 
a  document  so  loosely  worded,  and  sent  back  once 
more  to  beg  for  a  specific  detail  of  the  emperor's  pur- 
poses. Napoleon  had  his  head-quarters  at  Nogent,  on 
the  Seine,  some  leagues  below  Troyes,  when  the  de- 
spatch reached  him,  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  of 
February  ;  and  his  counsellors  unanimously  urged  him 
to  make  use  of  this,  probably  last,  opportunity.  They 
at  length  prevailed  on  him  to  agree  to  abandon  Belgium, 
the  left  of  the  Rhine,  Italy,  and  Piedmont.  But  in  the 
night  after  the  consultation,  and  before  the  ultimatum 
received  his  signature,  Napoleon  received  information 
which  quite  altered  his  views.  He  learned  that  Blucher, 
instead  of  continuing  his  march  down  the  Aube,  and  in 
communication  with  Schwartzenberg,  on  the  Seine, 
had  transferred  his  whole  army  to  the  Marne,  and  was 
now  advancing  towards  Paris,  by  the  Montmirail  road. 
That  the  allies,  after  experiencing  the  effects  of  dis- 
union at  Brienne,  and  those  of  conjunction  at  La 
Rothiere,  should  have  almost  in  the  moment  of  victory 
again  resolved  on  separating  their  forces,  is  a  circum- 
stance which  no  writer  has  as  yet  explained  in  any 
satisfactory  manner.  The  blunder  was  great ;  yet  in 
the  end  its  consequences  were  disastrous,  not  to  those 
who  committed,  but  to  him  whose  eagle-eye  detected 
it,  and  who  could  not  resist  the  temptation  which  it 
presented  to  make  one  warlike  effort  more.  Bona- 
parte, in  a  word,  refused  to  sign  the  despatch  on  the 
morning  of  the  9th ;  and  having  left  Bourmont  at 
Nogent,  with  a  small  force  to  defend  the  bridge  over 
the  Seine,  and  Oudinot  with  another,  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, at  the  next  bridge  in  descending  the  river,  name- 
ly, that  of  Bray,  immediately  commenced  his  march 
with  the  main  body  of  his  army  upon  Sezanne. 

It  was  the  depth  of  winter — the  cross-roads  on  which 
they  moved  were  in  the  most  frightful  condition  ;  yet 
this  determined  band  marched  nearly  forty  miles  ere 
they  halted  with  the  dark.  Next  morning  they  pro- 
ceeded with  equal  alacrity,  and  at  length  debouched 


1814.]  EXPEDITION    OF    THE    MARNE.  323 

on  the  road  by  which  Blucher's  army  was  advancing, 
at  Champaubert.  Alsusieff  and  the  central  division  of 
the  Prussians  were  passing,  when  Napoleon  unexpect- 
edly appeared  at  this  point,  and  were  altogether  unable 
to  resist  his  onset.  They  dispersed  in  confusion  with 
great  loss,  and  fled  towards  the  Marne.  Meantime, 
the  van  of  the  same  army,  commanded  by  Sacken, 
who  were  advancing  on  La  Ferte,  and  the  division  of 
D'York,  already  in  sight  of  Meaux,  turned  on  hearing 
the  cannonade  of  Champaubert,  and  countermarched 
with  the  view  of  supporting  Alsusieff.  They  shared 
the  fate  of  the  centre,  and  having  been  severely  handled 
at  Montmirail,  escaped  across  the  Marne  at  Chateau- 
Tierry  ;  thus  leaving  Blucher  and  the  rear  division 
alone  to  abide  the  attack  of  Napoleon's  entire  force 
between  the  Marne  and  the  Aube.  The  Prussian  mar- 
shal, advancing  rapidly  in  consequence  of  the  firing  of 
these  battles,  found-  himself  all  at  once  in  presence  of 
an  army  flushed  with  victory,  vastly  superior  in  num- 
bers, and  well  provided  with  cavalry,  of  which  he  had 
almost  none.  He  retired  in  alternate  squares,  sustain- 
ing all  day  the  charges  of  the  French,  with  much  loss 
of  life,  but  with  no  disorder ;  and  at  length  cut  his 
way,  at  Etoges,  through  a  column  of  heavy  horse,  sent 
round  to  intercept  him,  and  drawn  up  on  the  causeway. 
Blucher  himself  was,  in  the  course  of  this  day,  obliged 
to  fight  hand  to  hand  like  a  private  soldier.  His  re- 
treat was  masterly,  and  he  finally  crossed  the  Marne  at 
Chalons. 

Such  was  Napoleon's  celebrated  "expedition  of  the 
Marne."  In  five  days  his  arms  had  been  three  times 
successful.  He  had  shattered  and  dispersed  (as  he 
thought  effectually)  the  Silesian  army,  and  above  all, 
recovered  the  spirits  of  his  own  soldiery.  A  column 
of  7000  Prussian  prisoners  with  a  considerable  number 
of  guns  and  standards,  at  length  satisfied  the  Parisians 
that  Victory  had  not  entirely  forsworn  her  old  favor- 
ite. Thus  far  all  was  well ;  and  had  Napoleon,  from 
the  field  which  thus  raised  the  courage  of  his  troops, 
and  revived  the  confidence  of  his  capital,  despatched 
authority  to  Caulaincourt  to  conclude  the  treaty  on  the 


NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1814. 

terms  before  described — the  victor  of  Montmirail  might 
have  kept  the  throne  of  France.  But  his  own  pre- 
sumption was  rekindled  by  the  same  success  which 
dazzled  inferior  eyes — and  Napoleon  wrote  on  the 
instant  to  his  representative  at  Chatillon,  that  he  might 
now  assume  "an  attitude  less  humble."  This  error 
proved  fatal. 

Scarcely  had  the  Parisians  seen  the  prisoners  from 
Montmirail  marched  along  their  Boulevards,  ere  they 
heard  that  the  Cossacks  were  in  possession  of  Fontaine- 
bleau.  Napoleon  had  left,  as  was  mentioned,  small 
divisions  of  his  army  to  guard  the  bridges  over  the 
Seine  at  Nogent  and  Bray.  The  enemy,  however, 
soon  discovered  that  the  emperor  and  his  chief  force 
were  no  longer  in  that  quarter;  and — while  he  was 
beating  AlsusiefF,  Sacken,  and  Blucher — had  made  good 
the  passage  of  the  Seine,  at  three  different  points,  at 
Nogent,  at  Bray,  and  still  farther  down,  at  Montereau, 
driving  the  discomfited  guardians  of  these  important 
places  before  them.  Schwartzenberg  had  already  his 
head-quarters  at  Nangis,  and  was  obviously  resolved 
to  reach  Paris,  if  possible,  vvhile  Napoleon  was  on  the 
Marne.  The  light  troops  of  the  grand  allied  army 
were  scattering  confusion  on  both  sides  of  the  Seine — 
and  one  party  of  them  was  so  near  the  capital  as  Fon- 
tainebleau. 

Bonaparte  instantly  committed  to  -Marmont  and 
Mortier  the  care  of  watching  the  Chalons  road  and  the 
remains  of  Blucher's  army,  and  marched  with  his  main 
oody  on  Meaux,  where  he  received  (15th  February) 
tne  welcome  reinforcement  of  20,000  veterans  from 
Spain,  commanded  by  Grouchy.  On  the  16th,  Victor 
and  Oudinot  were  engaged  with  the  van  of  Schwartzen- 
berg, on  the  plains  of  Guignes,  when  the  emperor  ar- 
rived to  their  assistance.  The  enemy  immediately 
drew  back,  and  concentrated  his  strength  at  Nangis 
Napoleon  attacked  that  position  on  the  morning  of  the 
17th,  and  with  such  effect,  that  the  allies  retreated  after 
considerable  loss,  though  not  in  disorder,  on  tne  bridges 
in  their  rear. 

They  halted,  however,   at  Montereau,  and  Victor, 


1814.]  BATTLE  OF  MERY.  325 

who  commanded  the  pursuers  on  that  route,  failed  in 
dislodging  them.  Napoleon  resented  this  as  a  heinous 
error,  and  corning  up  on  the  morning  of  the  18th,  re- 
buked him  in  terms  of  violent  wrath,  and  formally  dis- 
missed him  from  the  service.  The  marshal,  tears 
streaming  down  his  face,  declared  that  though  he  had 
ceased  to  be  an  officer,  he  must  still  be  a  soldier,  and 
would  serve  once  more  in  the  ranks,  from  which  he 
had  originally  risen.  The  old  man's  son-in-law,  general 
Chateau,  had  been  slain  the  same  morning.  Napoleon 
extended  his  hand  to  him,  and  said  he  could  not  give 
him  back  the  command  of  his  corps  d'armee,  which 
had  already  been  assigned  to  another,  but  that  he  was 
welcome  to  place  himself  at  the  head  of  a  brigade  of 
the  guard.  The  attack  then  commenced  with  fury, 
and  the  bridge  and  town  of  Montereau  was  carried. 
The  defence  was,  however,  long  and  stern,  and  Napo- 
leon was  seen  pointing  cannon  with  his  own  hand, 
under  the  heaviest  of  the  fire.  The  artillerymen,  de- 
lighted with  witnessing  this  resumption  of  his  ancient 
trade,  were,  nevertheless,  alarmed  at  the  exposure  of 
his  person,  and  entreated  him  to  withdraw.  He  pei  • 
sisted  in  this  work,  answering  gaily,  "  My  children  ! 
the  bullet  that  shall  kill  me  is  not  yet  cast/'  Pursuing 
his  advantage,  Napoleon  saw  the  grand  army  continue 
their  retreat  in  the  direction  of  Troyes,  and  on  the  mor- 
ning of  the  22d  arrived  before  Mery. 

The  astonishment  of  the  emperor  was  great,  when 
he  found  this  town  occupied,  not  by  a  feeble  rear-guard 
of  Schwartzenberg,  but  by  a  powerful  division  of  Rus- 
sians, commanded  by  Sacken,  and  therefore,  belonging 
to  the  apparently  indestructible  army  of  Blucher. 
These  unexpected  enemies  were  charged  in  the  streets, 
and  at  length  retired  out  of  the  town  (which  was  burnt 
to  the  ground  in  the  struggle),  and  thence  beyond  the 
Aube — which,  in  that  quarter,  runs  nearly  parallel  with, 
and  at  no  great  distance  from,  the  Seine.  The  em- 
peror then  halted,  and  spent  the  night  in  a  wheelwright's 
cottage  at  Chatres. 

All  this  while,  the  semblance,  at  least,  of  negotiation 
had  been  kept  up  at  Chatillon.  Caulaincourt  receiving 


326  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1814. 

no  answer  to  that  important  despatch  which  reached 
Bonaparte  (as  has  been  mentioned)  at  Nogent,  on  the 
8th  of  February,  proceeded  to  act  on  the  instructions 
dated  at  Troyes,  on  the  3d ;  and,  in  effect,  accepted 
the  basis  of  the  allies.  When  Schwartzenberg  was  at 
tacked  at  Nangis  on  the  17th,  he  had  just  received  the 
intelligence  of  Caulaincourt's  having  signed  the  pre- 
liminary articles ;  and  he,  therefore,  sent  a  messenger 
to  ask  why  the  emperor,  if  aware  of  his  ambassador's 
act,  persisted  in  hostilities  ?  Napoleon  had  ere  then, 
as  we  have  seen,  desired  Caulaincourt  to  assume  "  a 
less  humble  attitude,"  and  instead  of  ratifying,  as  he 
was  bound  on  every  principle  of  honor  and  law  to  do 
the  signature  which  his  ambassador  had  full  powers  to 
affix,  he  returned  no  answer  whatever  to  Schwartzes 
berg,  but  despatched  a  private  letter  to  the  emperor  of 
Austria,  once  more  endeavoring  to  seduce  him  from 
the  European  league.  The  emperor's  reply  to  this 
despatch  reached  Napoleon  at  this  hovel  in  Chatres : 
it  announced  his  resolution  on  no  account  to  abandon 
the  general  cause  :  but,  at  the  same  time,  intimated 
that  Francis  lent  no  support  to  the  Bourbonists  (who 
were  now  arming  in  Franche-Comte  around  Monsieur), 
and  urged  Napoleon  to  avert  by  concession,  ere  it  was 
yet  too  late,  total  ruin  from  himself  and  his  house. 
Bonaparte,  flushed  with  a  succession  of  victories,  was 
in  no  temper  to  listen  to  such  advice,  and  the  Austrian 
envoy  left  his  head-quarters  with  a  note,  signifying  that 
now  he  would  not  even  consent  to  a  day's  armistice, 
unless  the  allies  would  fall  back  so  as  to  leave  Antwerp 
in  their  front. 

The  same  evening  there  came  news  from  Paris, 
which  might  have  been  expected  to  disturb  the  pride 
of  these  imaginations.  The  council  of  state  had  dis- 
cussed deliberately  the  proposals  of  the  allied  powers, 
and,  with  only  one  dissenting  voice,  now  entreated  the 
emperor  to  accept  them.  They  announced  to  him 
that — while  he  had  been  driving  the  Austrians  up  the 
Seine — the  army  of  the  north,  the  third  great  force  of 
the  allies,  had  at  length  effected  their  juncture  with 
Blucher;  who  was  now,  therefore,  at  the  head  of  a 


1814.]  TROYES.  327 

much  greater  army  than  he  had  as  yet  commanded, 
and  was  manifestly  resolved  to  descend  directly  on 
Paris  from  Chalons.  Napoleon  was  urged  anew  by 
those  about  his  person,  to  send  to  Chatillon  and  accept 
the  basis  to  which  Caulaincourt  had  agreed.  He  an- 
swered that  he  had  sworn  at  his  coronation  to  preserve 
the  territory  of  the  republic  entire,  and  that  he  could 
not  sign  this  treaty  without  violating  his  oath ! — and 
dismissed  his  counsellors,  saying  haughtily,  "  If  I  am 
to  be  scourged,  let  the  whip  at  least  come  on  me  of 
necessity,  and  not  through  any  voluntary  stooping  of 
my  own." 

Instead,  therefore,  of  sending  messengers  of  peace  to 
Chatillon,  Napoleon  now  thought  only  of  the  means  of 
at  once  holding  Schwartzenbergin  check  on  the  Seine, 
and  returning  once  more  to  confront  Blucher  on  the 
Marne.  He  pushed  on,  however,  as  far  as  Troyes,  in 
the  expectation  of  still  terrifying  the  allied  princes  into 
some  compromise.  In  this  city  he  found  that  certain 
gentlemen  had  openly  assumed  the  white  cockade,  the 
mark  of  the  Bourbonists,  during  its  occupation  by  the 
enemy,  though  without  any  countenance  from  the 
sovereigns.  One  of  these  gentlemen  was  so  unfortu- 
nate as  to  fall  into  his  hands,  and  was  immediately  ex- 
ecuted. 

The  emperor  in  vain  expected  new  proposals  from 
Chatillon  :  none  such  reached  him  at  Troyes — and  he 
recurred  to  his  schemes  of  a  second  "  expedition  of  the 
Marne."  He  desired  Oudinot  and  Macdonald,  with 
their  divisions,  to  manoeuvre  in  the  direction  of  Schwart- 
zenberg:  and  these  generals  commanded  their  troops 
to  shout  "  vive  1'Empereur,"  whenever  they  were  in 
hearing  of  the  enemy,  which  for  a  little  time  kept  up 
the  notion  that  Napoleon  himself  was  still  advancing 
on  the  road  to  Bar.  Meanwhile,  he  was  once  more 
marching  rapidly  across  the  country  to  Sezanne  ;  at 
which  point  he  received  intelligence  that  Mortier  and 
Marmont  had  been  driven  from  Ferte-sous-Jouarre  by 
Blucher,  and  were  in  full  retreat  to  Meaux.  Meaux 
he  considered  as  almost  a  suburb  of  Paris,  and  quick- 
ened his  speed  accordingly.  Hurrying  on,  at  Ferte- 


328  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1814 

Goucher,  he  was  at  once  met  and  overtaken  by  evii 
tidings.  Schwartzenberg,  having  discovered  the  em- 
peror's absence,  had  immediately  resumed  the  offen- 
sive, defeated  Oudinot  and  Macdonald  at  Bar,  and 
driven  them  before  him  as  far  as  Troyes  ;  and  Auge- 
reau,  who  commanded  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lyons 
announced  the  arrival  of  a  new  and  great  army  of  the 
allies  in  that  quarter.  Napoleon  resumed,  however,  his 
march,  and  having  been  detained  some  time  at  Ferte, 
in  consequence  of  the  destruction  of  the  bridge,  took 
the  direction  of  Chateau-Thierry  and  Soissons,  while 
Mortier  and  Marmont  received  his  orders  to  resume 
the  offensive  in  front  of  Meaux.  He  hoped,  in  this 
manner,  to  throw  himself  on  the  flank  of  Blucher's 
march,  as  he  had  done  before  at  Charnpaubert.  But 
the  Prussian  received  intelligence  this  tim6  of  his  ap- 
proach ;  and,  drawing  his  troops  together,  retired  to 
Soissons  in  perfect  order. 

Napoleon  proceeded  with  alacrity  in  the  direction 
of  Soissons,  not  doubting  that  the  French  garrison  in- 
trusted with  the  care  of  that  town,  and  its  bridge  over 
the  Marne,  were  still  in  possession  of  it,  and  eager, 
therefore,  to  force  Blucher  into  action  with  this  formi- 
dable obstacle  in  the  rear.  But  Soissons  had  been 
taken  by  a  Russian  corps,  retaken  by  a  French  one, 
and  fallen  once  more  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  ere 
the  emperor  came  in  sight  of  it.  The  Muscovite  black 
eagle,  floating  on  the  towers,  gave  him  the  first  in- 
timation of  this  misfortune.  He  assaulted  the  place 
impetuously :  the  Russians  repelled  the  attack  ;  and 
Napoleon,  learning  that  Blucher  had  filed  his  main 
body  through  the  town,  and  posted  himself  behind  the 
Marne,  marched  up  the  left  bank  of  that  river,  and 
crossed  it  also  at  Bery. 

A  few  leagues  in  front  of  this  place,  on  the  heights 
of  Craonne,  two  Russians  corps,  those  of  Sacken  and 
Witzengerode,  were  already  in  position  ;  and  the  em- 
peror lost  no  time  in  charging  them  there,  in  the  hope 
of  destroying  them  ere  they  could  unite  with  Blucher. 
The  battle  of  Craonne  began  at  eleven  A.  M.  on  the  7th 
of  March,  and  lasted  till  four  in  the  afternoon. 


1814.]  BATTLE  OP  LAON.  %    329 

Russians  had  down  to  this  hour  withstood  the  utmost 
exertions  of  Ney  on  their  right,  of  Victor  on  their  left, 
and  of  Napoleon  himself  on  their  centre.  The  loss  in 
slain  and  wounded  had  been  about,  equal  on  both  sides: 
no  cannon,  and  hardly  a  prisoner  had  been  taken. 
The  emperor,  enraged  with  this  obstinate  resistance, 
was  preparing  for  a  final  effort,  when  suddenly  the 
Russians  began  to  retreat.  He  followed  them  ;  but 
they  withdrew  with  the  deliberation  and  impunity  of  a 
parade.  They  had  been  ordered  to  fall  back  on  the 
plateau  of  Laon,  in  order  to  form  there  on  the  same  line 
with  Blucher,  who  was  once  more  in  presence,  and  eager 
to  concentrate  all  his  force  for  a  decisive  conflict. 

It  took  place  on  the  9th.  Napoleon  found  his  enemy 
strongly  posted  along  an  elevated  ridge,  covered  with 
wood,  and  farther  protected  in  front  by  a  succession  of 
terrace-walls,  the  enclosures  of  vineyards.  There  was 
a  heavy  mist  on  the  lower  ground,  and  the  French  were 
advancing  up  the  hill  ere  the  movement  was  discovered. 
They  were  met  by  a  storm  of  cannonade  which  utterly 
broke  their  centre.  On  either  flank  of  the  enemy's  posi- 
tion they  then  charged  in  succession  and  with  like  results. 
On  all  points  they  were  repelled,  except  only  at  the  village 
of  Athies,  where  Marmont  had  obtained  some  advantage. 
Night  interrupted  the  contest,  and  the  armies  bivou- 
acked in  full  view  of  each  other.  The  allies,  in  con- 
sequence of  their  well-covered  position,  had  suffered 
comparatively  little  ;  of  the  French  some  thousands 
had  died — and  all  in  vain.  Napoleon  was,  however, 
resolved  to  renew  the  attack,  and  mounted  his  horse 
accordingly  at  four  on  the  morning  of  the  10th.  At 
that  moment  news  came  that  Marmont's  corps  had  just 
been  assaulted  at  Athies,  and  so  thoroughly  discom- 
fited that  they  were  now  flying  in  confusion  towards 
Corbery.  Notwithstanding  this  ominous  opening,  the 
battle  in  front  of  Laon  was  continued  all  the  day.  But 
the  tide  of  fortune  had  turned,  and  could  not  be  resisted. 
On  the  llth,  Napoleon  commenced  his  retreat,  having 
lost  30  cannon  and  10,000  men. 

Soissons  had  been  evacuated  by  the  allies,  when  con- 
centrating themselves  for  the  battle  of  Laor,.  Napo- 


330   •         NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1814. 

Icon  threw  himself,  therefore,  into  that  town,  and  was 
making  his  best  efforts  to  strengthen  it,  in  expectation 
of  the  Prussian's  advance,  when  once  more  a  messen- 
ger of  evil  tidings  reached  him.  A  detached  Russian 
corps,  commanded  by  St.  Priest,  a  French  emigrant, 
had  seized  Rheims  by  a  coup-de-main — and  Napoleon 
instantly  marched  thither  in  person,  leaving  Marmont 
to  hold  out  as  well  as  he  could  at  Soissons,  in  case  that 
should  be  the  direction  of  Blucher's  march.  Bona- 
parte, moving  with  his  usual  rapidity,  came  unexpected 
on  Rheims,  and  took  the  place  by  assault,  at  midnight. 
St.  Priest  had  fallen ;  and  the  bulletin  announced  that 
he  met  his  fate  by  a  ball  from  the  same  cannon  which 
killed  Moreau.  If  it  were  so,  no  one  could  have  as- 
certained the  fact ;  but  Napoleon's  imagination  was 
always  ready  to  welcome  a  tale  that  savored  of 
fatality. 

From  Rheims,  where  Napoleon  remained  for  three 
days  to  refresh  his  unfortunate  followers,  he  despatch- 
ed at  length  full  powers  to  Caulaincourt  to  conclude 
any  treaty,  which  should  secure  the  immediate  evacua- 
tion of  the  old  French  territory,  and  a  mutual  restora- 
tion of  prisoners.  Maret  (duke  of  Bassano),  however, 
wrote  —  by  the  same  messenger-^- at  much  greater 
length ;  informing  the  plenipotentiary  that  the  emperor 
would  refuse  to  ratify  any  treaty  whatever — if,  in  the 
interim,  events  should  have  taken  a  turn  in  his  favor. 
It  is  to  be  doubted  whether  Caulaincourt  would  have 
ventured  to  act,  on  instructions  thus  qualified,  with  the 
decision  which  the  emergency  required.  But  he  was 
not  put  to  the  proof.  The  allies  had  determined  to  ne- 
gotiate no  more  ere  the  despatch  of  Rheims  reached 
him. 

Throughout  this  crisis  of  his  history  it  is  impossible 
to  survey  the  rapid  energy  of  Napoleon — his  alert 
transitions  from  enemy  to  enemy,  his  fearless  assaults 
on  vastly  superior  numbers,  his  unwearied  resolution, 
and  exhaustless  invention — without  the  highest  admi 
ration  which  can  attend  on  a  master  of  warfare. 

To  complete  our  notion  of  his  energies — he  had  al 
through  this,  the  most  extraordinary  of  his  campaigns, 


1814.]  REIEIMS.  331 

continued  to  conduct,  from  his  perpetually  changing 
bead-quarters,  the  civil  business  of  his  empire.  He 
occupied  himself  largely  with  such  matters  during  his 
stay  at  Rheims  ;  but  it  was  there  that  the  last  de- 
spatches from  the  home-department  at  Paris  were  des- 
tined to  reach  him  ;  and,  ere  he  could  return  his 
answer,  there  came  couriers  upon  couriers  with  tidings 
which  would  have  unmanned  any  other  mind,  and 
which  filled  his  with  perplexity.  On  the  one  side, 
Blucher  had  profited  by  his  departure,  crushed  down 
the  feeble  opposition  of  the  corps  left  at  Soissons,  and 
repassed  the  Marne.  On  the  other  hand,  Schwartzen- 
berg  had  detected,  almost  as  soon  as  it  took  place,  his 
march  on  Sezanne,  and  instantly  resumed  the  offen- 
sive. Oudinot  and  Girard  had  been  forced  to  give 
way  before  the  immeasurably  superior  numbers  of 
the  grand  army.  They  had  been  defeated  with  great 
slaughter  at  Bar  on  the  Aube ;  and  the  Austrian  was 
once  more  at  Troyes.  The  allies  were,  therefore,  to 
all  appearance,  in  full  march  upon  Paris  both  by  the 
valley  of  the  Marne,  and  by  that  of  the  Seine,  at  the 
moment  when  Napoleon  had  thought  to  paralyze  all 
their  movements  by  taking  up  a  position  between  them 
at  Rheims, 

Napoleon,  meanwhile,  had  been  struggling  with 
himself:  whatever  line  of  action  he  might  adopt 
was  at  the  best  hazardous  in  the  extreme.  Should 
he  hasten  after  Blucher  on  the  Marne,  what  was  to 
prevent  Schwartzenberg  from  reaching  Paris  ere  the 
Silesian  army,  already  victorious  at  Laon,  could  be 
once  more  brought  to  action  by  an  inferior  force? 
Should  he  throw  himself  on  the  march  of  Schwartzen- 
berg, would  not  the  fiery  Prussian  be  at  the  Tuileries 
long  before  the  Austrian  could  be  checked  on  the 
Seine  ?  There  remained  a  third  course — namely,  to 
push  at  once  into  the  country  in  the  rear  of  the  grand 
army ;  and  to  this  there  were  sundry  inducements. 
By  doing  so,  he  might  possibly — such  were  still  the 
emperor's  conceptions  as  to  the  influence  of  his  name 
— &'  ike  the  advancing  allies,  both  the  Austrian  and 
the  Prussian,  with  terror,  and  paralyze  their  move- 


332  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1814. 

ments.  Were  they  likely  to  persist  in  their  Hurrak 
on  Paris  (at  this  period  the  Cossack  vocabulary  was  in 
vogue),  when  they  knew  Napoleon  to  be  posting  him- 
sell' between  them,  and  their  own  resources,  and  at  the 
same  time  relieving  and  rallying  around  him  all  the 
garrisons  of  the  great  fortresses  ot  the  Rhine  ?  Would 
not  such  conduct  be  considered  as  entirely  out  of  the 
question  by  superstitious  adherents  to  the  ancient 
technicalities  of  war  ?  Would  not  Sc.hwartzenberg  at 
least  abandon  the  advance  and  turn  to  follow  him,  who 
still  fancied  that  no  one  could  dream  of  conquering 
France  without  having  ruined  Napoleon?  But — even 
supposing  that  the  allied  powers  should  resist  all  these 
suggestions  and  proceed  upon  the  capital — would  not 
that  great  city,  with  Marmont  and  Mortier,  and  the 
national  guard,  be  able  to  hold  the  enemy  at  bay  for 
some  considerable  space ;  and  during  that  space,  could 
the  emperor  fail  to  release  his  garrisons  on  the  Rhine, 
and  so  place  himself  once  more  at  the  head  of  an  army 
capable,  under  his  unrivalled  guidance,  of  relieving 
France  and  ruining  her  invaders,  by  a  great  battle 
under  the  walls  of  Paris  ? 

While  Napoleon  was  thus  tossed  in  anxiety  by  what 
means  to  avert,  if  it  were  yet  possible,  from  Paris  the 
visitation  of  those  mighty  armies,  against  whom  ener- 
gies, such  as  he  alone  possessed,  had  been  exerted  in 
vain — the  capital  showed  small  symptoms  of  sympa- 
thizing with  him.  It  was  Savary's  business  to  de- 
spatch a  full  account  of  the  state  of  the  city  every  night 
to  head-quarters ; — and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  inform 
the  emperor  that  the  machinery  of  government  was 
clogged  in.  every  wheel,  and  that  the  necessity  of  pur- 
chasing peace,  by  abandoning  him,  was  the  common 
burden  of  conversation. 

Meantime,  to  swell  the  cup  of  his  anxieties,  there 
reached  him  new  intelligence  of  the  most  alarming 
character  from  the  south-western  provinces,  invaded 
by  lord  Wellington.  That  victorious  general  had  driven 
Soult  before  him  through  the  Pays  de  Gaves  (the  tract 
of  strong  country  broken  by  the  torrents  descending 
from  the  Pyrenees)  ;  defeated  him  in  another  great 


1814.]  ST.    DIZIER.  333 

battle  at  Orthes,  and  was  now  pursuing  him  in  the 
direction  of  Toulouse.  Nor  was  even  this  the  worst. 
The  English  had  been  received  more  like  friends  than 
enemies  by  the  French  ;  their  camp  was  far  better 
served  with  provisions  than  that  of  Soult;  and,  lastly, 
Bordeaux  had  risen  openly  in  the  cause  of  Louis.  The 
white  flag  was  floating  on  every  tower  of  the  third  city 
in  France,  arid  the  duke  D'Angouleme  was  administer- 
ing all  the  offices  of  government  in  the  midst  of  a 
population  who  had  welcomed  him  with  the  enthusiasm 
of  old  loyalty. 

It  was  amid  such  circumstances  that  Napoleon  at 
length  decided  on  throwing  himself  upon  the  rear  of  the 
allies.  They  were  for  some  time  quite  uncertain  of  his 
movements  after  he  quitted  Rheims,  until  an  intercept- 
ed letter  to  Maria  Louisa  informed  them  that  he  was 
at  St.  Dizier. 

He  here  continued  to  manoeuvre  for  several  days, 
while  petty  skirmishes  were  ever  and  anon  occurring 
between  his  rear-guard,  and  Austrians,  whom  he  took 
for  the  van-guard  of  Schwartzenberg.  They  were, 
however,  detached  troops,  chiefly  horse,  left  expressly 
to  hang  on  his  march,  and  cheat  him  into  this  belief. 
The  grand  army  was  proceeding  rapidly  down  the 
Seine  ;  while  Blucher,  having  repeatedly  beaten  Mar- 
mont  and  Mortier,  was  already  within  sight  of  Meaux. 

On  the  26th  of  March,  the  distant  roaring  of  artillery 
was  heard  at  intervals  on  the  boulevards  of  Paris ;  and 
the  alarm  began  to  be  violent.  On  the  27th  (Sunday) 
Joseph  Bonaparte  held  a  review  in  the  Place  Carousel ; 
and  the  day  being  fine,  and  the  uniforms  mostly  new, 
the  confidence  of  the  spectators  rose,  and  the  newspa- 
pers expressed  their  wishes  that  the  enemy  could  but 
behold  what  forces  were  ready  to  meet  and  destroy 
them.  That  same  evening  the  allies  passed  the  Marne 
at  various  points;  at  three  in  the  morning  of  the  28th, 
they  took  Meaux;  and  at  daybreak,  "the  terrified  pop- 
ulation of  the  country  between  Meaux  and  Paris  came 
pouring  into  the  capital,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  with 
their  aged,  infirm,  children,  cats,  dogs,  live-stock,  corn, 
hay,  and  household  goods  of  every  description.  The 


334  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1814. 

boulevards  were  crowded  with  wagons,  carts,  and  car 
riages  thus  laden,  to  which  cattle  were  tied,  and  the 
whole  surrounded  with  women."  The  regular  troops 
now  marched  out  of  the  town,  leaving  all  the  barriers 
in  charge  of  the  national  guard.  The  confusion  that 
prevailed  everywhere  was  indescribable. 

On  the  29th,  the  empress,  her  son,  and  most  of  the 
members  of  the  council  of  state,  set  off,  attended  by 
700  soldiers,  for  Rambouillet — from  which  they  contin- 
ued their  journey  to  Blois — and  in  their  train  went  fif- 
teen wagons  laden  with  plate  and  coin  from  the  vaults 
of  the  Tuilleries. 

All  day  wagons  of  biscuit  and  ammunition  were  roll- 
ing through  the  town  ;  wounded  soldiers  came  limping 
to  the  barriers  ;  and  the  Seine  heaved  thicker  and 
thicker  with  the  carcasses  of  horses  and  men.  That 
night,  for  once,  the  theatre  was  deserted. 

On  the  30th,  the  allies  fought  and  won  the  final  bat- 
tle. The  French  occupied  the  whole  range  of  heights 
from  the  Marne  at  Charenton,  to  the  Seine  beyond  St. 
Denis  ;  and  the  Austrians  began  the  attack  about  eleven 
o'clock,  towards  the  former  of  these  points,  while  nearly 
in  the  midst  between  them  a  charge  was  made  by  the 
Russians  on  Pantin  and  Belleville.  The  Prussians, 
who  were  posted  over  against  the  heights  of  Mont- 
martre,  did  not  come  into  action  so  early  in  the  day. 
The  French  troops  of  the  line  were  stationed  every- 
where in  the  front,  and  commanded  by  Marmont  and 
Mortier.  Those  battalions  of  the  national  guard  whose 
spirit  could  be  trusted,  and  who  were  adequately  arm- 
ed, took  their  orders  from  Moncey,  and  formed  a  second 
line  of  defence.  The  scholars  of  the  polytechnic  school 
volunteered  to  serve  at  the  great  guns,  and  the  artillery 
was,  though  not  numerous,  well  arranged,  and  in  gallant 
hands. 

The  French  defence,  in  spite  of  all  the  previous  dis- 
asters, and  of  the  enormous  superiority  of  the  enemy's 
numbers,  was  most  brave  :  but  ere  two  o'clock  the  allies 
had  completely  beaten  them  at  all  points,  except  only 
at  Montmartre,  where  they  were  rapidly  making  pro- 
gress. Marmont  then  sent  several  aides-de-camp  to 


1814.]  FALL    OF    PARIS,  335 

request  an  armistice,  and  offer  a  capitulation.  One 
only  of  his  messengers  appears  to  have  reached  the 
head-quarters  of  the  sovereigns — and  both  the  czar  and 
king  of  Prussia  immediately  professed  their  willingness 
to  spare  the  city,  provided  the  regular  troops  would 
evacuate  it.  Blucher,  meanwhile,  continued  pressing 
on  at  Montmartre,  and  shortly-  after  four,  the  victory 
being  completed  in  that  direction,  the  French  cannon 
were  turned  on  the  city,  and  shot  and  shells  began  to 
spread  destruction  within  its  walls.  The  capitulation 
was  drawn  up  at  five  o'clock,  close  to  the  barrier  St. 
Denis. 

We  must  now  turn  to  Napoleon.  It  was  not  until 
the  27th  that  he  distinctly  ascertained  the  fact  of  both 
the  allied  armies  having  marched  directly  on  Paris. 
He  instantly  resolved  to  hasten  after  them,  in  hopes  to 
arrive  on  their  rear,  ere  yet  they  had  mastered  the. 
heights  of  Montmartre ;  nor  did  his  troops  refuse  to 
rush  forward  once  more  at  his  bidding.  He  had  to  go 
round  by  Doulevent  and  Troyes,  because  the  direct 
route  was  ere  now  utterly  wasted,  and  could  not  furnish 
food  for  his  men.  At  Doulevent  he  received  a  billet 
from  La  Vallette,  his  postmaster-general,  in  these  terms  : 
"  The  partisans  of  the  stranger  are  making  head,  sec- 
onded by  secret  intrigues.  The  presence  of  the  empe- 
ror is  indispensable — if  he  desires  to  .prevent  his  capital 
from  being  delivered  to  the  enemy.  There  is  not  a 
moment  to  be  lost."  Urging  his  advance  accordingly 
with  renewed  eagerness,  Bonaparte  reached  Troyes  on 
the  night  of  the  29th — his  men  having  marched  fifteen 
leagues  since  the  daybreak.  Finding  the  road  beyond 
Troyes  quite  clear,  he  threw  himself  into  a  post-chaise, 
and  travelled  on  before  his  army  at  full  speed,  with 
hardly  any  attendance.  At  Villeneuve  L'Archeveque 
he  mounted  on  horseback,  and  galloping  without  a 
pause,  reached  Fontainebleau  late  in  the  night.  He 
there  ordered  a  carnage,  and  taking  Caulaincourt  and 
Berthier  into  it,  drove  on  towards  Paris.  Nothing 
could  shake  his  belief  that  he  was  yet  in  time — until, 
while  he  was  changing  horses  at  La  Cour  de  France, 
but  a  few  miles  from  Paris,  general  Bellinrd  came  up 


336  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.         [1814. 

at  the  head  of  a  column  of  cavalry — weary  and  deject- 
ed men,  marching  towards  Fontainebleau,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  provisions  of  Marmont's  capitulation, 
from  the  fatal  field  of  Montmartre. 

Even  then  Napoleon  refused  to  halt.  Leaping  from 
his  carriage, -he  began:  "What  means  this?  Why 
here  with  your  cavalry,  Belliard  ?  And  where  are  the 
enemy  ?  Where  are  my  wife  and  my  boy  ?  Where 
Marmont?  'Where  Mortier?"  Belliard,  walking  by 
his  side,  told  him  the  events  of  the  day.  He  called  out 
for  his  carriage — and  insisted  on  continuing  his  jour- 
ney. The  general  in  vain  informed  him  that  there  was 
no  longer  an  army  in  Paris;  that  the  regulars  were  all 
coming  behind,  and  that  neither  they  nor  he  himself, 
having  left  the  city  in  consequence  of  a  convention, 
could  possibly  return  to  it.  The  emperor  still  demand- 
ed his  carriage,  and  bade  Belliard  turn  with  the  cavalry 
and  follow  him.  "Come,"  said  he,  "  we  must  to  Paris 
— nothing  goes  aright  when  I  am  away — they  do  noth- 
ing but  blunder."  With  such  exclamations  Bonaparte 
hurried  onwards,  dragging  Belliard  with  him,  until  they 
were  met,  a  mile  from  La  Cour  de  France,  by  the  first 
of  the  retreating  infantry.  Their  commander,  general 
Curial,  gave  the  same  answers  as  Belliard.  "  In  pro- 
ceeding to  Paris,"  said  he,  "  you  rush  on  death  or  cap- 
tivity." Perceiving  at  length  that  the  hand  of  neces- 
sity was  on  him,  the  emperor  then  abandoned  his  design. 
He  sunk  at  once  into  perfect  composure  ;  gave  orders 
that  the  troops,  as  they  arrived,  should  draw  up  behind 
the  little  river  Essone;  despatched  Caulaincourt  to 
Paris,  with  authority  to  accept  whatever  terms  the 
allied  sovereigns  might  be  pleased  to  offer;  and  turned 
again  towards  Fontainebleau.  It  was  still  dark  when 
Napoleon  reached  once  more  that  venerable  castle. 
He  retired  to  rest  immediately;  not,  however,  in  any 
of  the  state-rooms  which  he  had  been  accustomed  to 
occupy,  but  in  a  smaller  apartment,  in  a  different  and 
more  sequestered  part  of  the  building. 

The  duke  of  Vicenza  reached  the  czar's  quarters  at 
Pantin  early  in  the  morning  of  the  31st,  while  he  was 
yet  asleep;  and  recogniyed,  amid  the  crowd  in  t\\& 


I8J4.]          THE  CZAR  AT  PANTIN.  337 

antechamber,  a  deputation  from  the  municipality  of 
Paris,  who  were  waiting  to  present  the  keys  of  the  city, 
and  invoke  the  protection  of  the  conqueror.  As  soon 
as  the  emperor  awoke — these  functionaries  were  ad- 
mitted to  his  presence,  and  experienced  a  most  courte- 
ous reception.  The  czar  repeated  his  favorite  expres- 
sion, that  he  had  but  one  enemy  in  France ;  and 
promised  that  the  capita],  and  all  within  it,  should  be 
treated  with  perfect  consideration.  Caulaincourt  then 
found  his  way  to  Alexander — but  he  was  dismissed 
immediately.  The  countenance  of  the  envoy  an- 
nounced, as  he  came  out,  that  he  considered  the  fate 
of  his  master  as  decided  ;  nor,  if  he  had  preserved  any 
hope,  could  it  have  failed  to  expire  when  he  learned 
that  Alexander  had  already  sent  to  Talleyrand,  request- 
ing him  on  no  account  to  quit  the  capital,  and  proposing 
to  take  up  his  own  residence  in  his  hotel. 

The  history  of  what  Lavalette  had  called  "  the  se- 
cret intrigues  of  the  stranger"  has  not  yet  been  cleared 
up — nor  is  it  likely  to  be  so  for  some  time.  If  there 
was  one  of  the  allied  princes  on  whose  disposition  to 
spare  himself,  or  at  least  his  family,  Napoleon  might 
have  been  supposed  to  count, — it  must  have  been  the 
emperor  of  Austria  ;  and  yet,  at  daybreak  this  very 
morning,  a  proclamation  was  tossed  in  thousands  over 
the  barriers  of  Paris,  in  which  several  phrases  occurred, 
not  to  be  reconciled  with  any  other  notion  than  that 
he  and  all  the  allies  agreed  in  favoring  the  restoration 
of  the  Bourbons,  ere  any  part  of  their  forces  entered 
the  capital.  This  document  spoke  of  the  anxiety  of 
"  the  sovereigns"  to  see  the  establishment  of  "  a  salu- 
tary authority  in  France  ;"  of  the  opportunity  offered 
to  the  Parisians  ".of  accelerating  the  peace  of  the 
world;"  of  the  "conduct  of  Bordeaux"  as  affording 
"  an  example  of  the  method  in  which  foreign  war  and 
civil  discord  might  find  a  common  termination  ;" — it 
concluded  thus  :  "  It  is  in  these  sentiments  that  Eu- 
rope in  arms  before  your  walls  addresses  herself  to 
you.  Hasten  then  to  respond  to  the  confidence  which 
she  reposes  in  your  love  for  your  country,  and  in  your 
.  '  22  0 


338  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1814, 

wisdom  :"  and  was  signed,  "  SCHWARTZENBERG,  com- 
mander -in- chief  of  the  allied  armies." 

There  was  a  circumstance  of  another  kind  which 
assisted  in  stimulating  the  hopes  and  swelling  the  ad- 
herents of  the  royal  cause.  The  allies  had,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  campaign,  experienced  evil  from  the  multi- 
plicity of  uniforms  worn  among  the  troops  of  so  many 
nations  and  tongues,  and  the  likeness  which  some  of 
the  dresses,  the  German  especially,  bore  to  those  of  the 
French.  The  invading  soldiers  had  latterly  adopted 
the  practice  of  binding  pieces  of  white  linen  round 
their  left  arms  ;  and  this  token,  though  possibly  meant 
only  to  enable  the  strangers  to  recognize  each  other, 
was  not  likely  to  be  observed  with  indifference  by  the 
Parisians,  among  whom  the  Bourbonists  had  already 
begun  to  wear  openly  the  white  cockade. 

Finally,  a  vivid  sensation  was  excited  at  Paris,  at 
this  critical  moment,  by  the  publication  of  Chateau- 
briand's celebrated  tract,  entitled  "  Of  Bonaparte  and 
of  the  Bourbons."  The  first  symptom  of  freedom  in 
the  long-enslaved  press  of  Paris  was  not  likely,  what- 
ever it  might  be,  to  meet  with  an  unfriendly  reception  ; 
but  this  effusion  of  one  of  the  most  popular  writers  of 
the  time  (though  composed  in  a  style  not  suited  to  so- 
ber English  tastes)  was  admirably  adapted  to  produce 
a  powerful  effect,  at  such  a  moment  of  doubt  and  hesi- 
tation, on  the  people  to  whom  it  was  addressed. 

The  agents  of  Bonaparte  had  not  been  idle  during  the 
30th ;  they  had  appealed  to  the  passions  of  those 
wretched  classes  of  society  who  had  been  the  willing 
instruments  of  all  the  horrible  violence  of  the  revolu- 
tion, and  among  whom  the  name  of  Bourbon  was  still 
detested;  nor  without  considerable  effect.  The  crowds 
of  filthy  outcasts,  who  emerged  from  their  lanes  ana 
cellars,  and  thronged  some  of  the  public  places  during 
the  battle,  were  regarded  with  equal  alarm  by  all  the 
decent  part  of  the  population,  however  divided  in  po- 
litical sentiments.  But  the  battle  ended  ere  they  could 
be  brought  to  venture  on  any  combined  movement ; 
and  when  the  defeated  soldiery  began  to  file  in  silence 
and  dejection  through  the  streets,  the  mobjost  courage, 


1814.]  '      THE    ALLIES    ENTER    PARIS.  333 

and  retreated  also  in  dismay  to  the  obscure  abodes  of 
their  misery  and  vice. 

The  royalists  welcomed  with  exultation  the  dawn, 
of  the  31st.  Together  with  the  proclamation  of 
Schwartzenberg,  they  circulated  one  of  Monsieur,  and 
another  of  Louis  XVIII.  himself;  and  some  of  the 
leading  gentlemen  of  the  party,  the  Montmorencys,  the 
Noailles,  the  Rohans,  Rochefoucalds,  the  Polignacs, 
the  Chateaubriands,  were  early  on  horseback  in  the 
streets;  which  they  paraded  without  interruption  from 
any,  either  of  the  civil  authorities,  or  of  the  national 
guard,  decorated  with  the  symbols  of  their  cause,  and 
appealing  with  eloquence  to  the  feelings  of  the  on- 
lookers. At  noon,  the  first  of  the  allied  troops  began 
to  pass  the  barrier  and  enter  the  city.  The  royalist 
cavaliers  met  them  ;  but  though  many  officers,  observ- 
ing the  white  cockade,  exclaimed,  "  la  belle  decora- 
tion !"  the  generals  refused  to  say  anything  which 
might  commit  their  sovereigns.  Some  ladies  of  rank, 
however,  now  appeared  to  take  their  part  in  the  scene; 
and  when  these  fair  hands  were  seen  tearing  their 
dresses  to  make  white  cockades,  the  flame  of  their  en- 
thusiasm began  to  spread.  Various  pickets  of  the  na- 
tional guard  had  plucked  the  tricolor  badge  from  their 
caps,  arid  assumed  the  white,  ere  many  of  the  allies 
passed  the  gates. 

At  noon,  as  has  been  mentioned,  this  triumphal  pro- 
cession began,  and  it  lasted  for  several  hours.  The  show 
was  splendid;  50,000  troops,  horse,  foot,  and  artillery, 
all  in  the  highest  order  and  condition,  marched  along 
the  boulevards ;  and  in  the  midst  appeared  the  youthful 
czar  and  the  king  of  Prussia,  followed  by  a  dazzling 
suite  of  princes,  ambassadors,  and  generals.  The  crowd 
was  so  great,  that  their  motion,  always  slow,  was  some- 
times suspended.  The  courteous  looks  and  manners  of 
all  the  strangers — but  especially  the  affable  and  conde- 
scending air  of  Alexander,  was  observed  at  first  with 
surprise — as  the  cavalcade  passed  on,  and  the  crowd 
thickened,  the  feelings  of  the  populace  rose  from  won- 
der to  delight,  and  ended  in  contagious  and  irresistible 
raptuj-e.  No  sovereigns  entering  their  native  capitals 


340  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1814 

were  ever  received  with  more  enthusiastic  plaudits ; 
and  still,  at  every  step,  the  shouts  of  Vive  I'empexeur 
Alexander! — Vive  k  roi  de  Prusse  !  were  more  and 
more  loudly  mingled  with  the  long-forgotten  echoes  of 
Vine  le  roi! — Vive  Louis  XVIll.  ! — Vivent  les Bour- 
bons ! 

The  monarchs  at  last  halted,  dismissed  their  soldiers 
to  quarters  in  the  city,  saw  Pjatoff  and  his  Cossacks 
establish  their  bivouac  in  the  Champs  Elysees,  and 
retired  to  the  residences  prepared  for  them  :  that  of 
Alexander  being,  as  we  have  mentioned  above,  in  the 
hotel  of  Talleyrand. 

While  the  czar  was  discussing  with  this  wily  vete- 
ran, and  a  few  other  French  statesmen  of  the  first  class, 
summoned  at  his  request,  the  state  of  public  opinion, 
arid  the  strength  of  the  contending  parties — the  popu- 
lation of  Paris  continued  lost  in  surprise  and  admira- 
tion, at  the  sudden  march  of  events,  the  altogether  un- 
expected amount  of  the  troops  of  the  allies — (for  they 
that  had  figured  in  the  triumphal  procession  were,  it 
now  appeared,  from  the  occupation  of  all  the  environs, 
but  a  fragment  of  the  whole) — and  above  all,  perhaps — 
such  is  the  theatric  taste  of  the  people — the  countless 
varieties  of  lineament  and  costume  observable  among 
the  warlike  bands  lounging  and  parading  about  their 
streets  and  gardens.  The  capital  wore  the  semblance 
of  some  enormous  masquerade.  Circassian  noblemen 
in  complete  mail,  and  wild  Bashkirs  with  bows  and  ar- 
rows, were  there.  All  ages,  as  well  as  countries,  seemed 
to  have  sent  their  representatives,  to  stalk  as  victors 
amid  the  nation  which  but  yesterday  had  claimed  glory 
above  the  dreams  of  antiquity,  arid  the  undisputed  mas- 
tery of  the  European  world. 

The  council  at  the  hotel  of  Talleyrand  did  not  pro- 
tract its  sitting.  Alexander  and  Frederick  William, 
urged  by  all  their  assessors  to  re-establish  the  house  of 
Bourbon,  still  hesitated.  Talleyrand  now  suggested 
that  the  conservative  senate  should  be  convoked,  and 
required  to  nominate  a  provisional  government,  the 
members  of  which  should  have  power  to  arrange  a 
constitution.  And  to  this  the  sovereigns 


1814.]  THE    ALLIES    IN    PARIS.  341 

Alexander  signed  forthwith  a  proclamation,  asserting 
the  resolution  of  the  allies  to  "  treat  no  more  with  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte,  or  any  of  his  family."  Talleyrand 
had  a  printer  waiting,  and  the  document  was  imme-. 
diately  published,  with  this  significant  affix,  "Michaud, 
printer  to  the  king."  If  any  doubt  could  have  remain- 
ed after  this,  it  must  be  supposed  to  have  ceased  at 
nine  the  same  Evening,  when  the  royalist  gentry  once 
more  assembled,  sent  a  second  deputation  to  Alexan- 
der, and  were  (the  czar  himself  having  retired  to  rest) 
received,  and  answered  in  these  words,  by  his  minister 
Nesselrode  : — "  I  have  just  left  the  emperor,  and  it  is 
in  his  name  that  I  speak.  Return  to  your  assembly, 
and  announce  to  all  the  French,  that,  touched  with  the 
cries  he  has  heard  this  morning,  and  the  wishes  since 
so  earnestly  expressed  to  him,  his  majesty  is  about  to' 
restore  the  crown  to  him  to  whom  it  alone  belongs. 
Louis  XVIII.  will  immediately  ascend  his  throne." 

And  yet  it  is  by  no  means  clear  that  even  at  the  time 
when  this  apparently  most  solemn  declaration  was  ut- 
tered, the  resolution  of  the  allies  had  been  unalterably 
taken.  Nesselrode  personally  inclined  to  the  regency, 
and  preserving  the  crown  to  the  king  of  Rome  ;  nor 
is  it  to  be  doubted  that  that  scheme,  if  at  all  practica- 
ble, would  have  been  preferred  by  the  emperor  of  Aus- 
tria. But  the  Frenchmen  who  had  once  committed 
themselves  against  Napoleon,  could  not  be  persuaded 
but  that  his  influence  would  revive,  to  their  own  ruin, 
under  any  Bonapartean  administration  ;  and  the  events 
of  the  two  succeeding  days  were  decisive.  The  mu- 
nicipal council  met,  and  proclaimed  that  the  throne 
was  empty.  This  bold  act  is  supposed  to  have  deter- 
mined the  conservative  senate.  On  the  first  of  April 
that  body  also  assembled,  and  named  a  provisional 
government,  with  Talleyrand  for  its  head.  The  depo- 
sition of  Napoleon  was  forthwith  put  to  the  vote,  and 
carried  without  even  one  dissentient  voice.  On  the 
2d,  the  legislative  senate,  angrily  dispersed  in  January, 
were  in  like  manner  convoked  :  and  they  too  ratified 
the  decrees  proposed  by  the  conservative.  On  the 
3d,  the  senatus  consultum  was  published  ;  and  myriads 


349  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1814. 

of  hands  were  busy  in  every  corner  of  the  city,  pulling 
dcwn  the  statues  and  pictures,  and  effacing  the  arms 
and  initials  of  Napoleon.  Meantime,  the  allied  princes 
appointed  military  governors  of  Paris,  were  visible 
daily  at  processions  and  festivals,  and  received,  night 
after  night,  in  the  theatres,  the  tumultuous  applause  of 
the  most  inconstant  of  people. 

It  was  in  the  night  between  the  *2d  and  3d  that 
Caulaincourt  returned,  from  his  mission  to  Fontaine- 
bleau,  and  informed  Napoleon  of  the  events  which  he 
had  witnessed  ;  he  added,  that  the  allies  had  not  yet, 
in  his  opinion,  made  up  their  minds  to  resist  the  scheme 
of  a  regency,  but  that  he  was  commissioned  to  say 
nothing  could  be  arranged,  as  to  ulterior  questions, 
until  he,  the  emperor,  had  formally  abdicated  his  throne. 
The  marshals  assembled  at  Fontainebleau  seem,  on 
hearing  this  intelligence,  to  have  resolved  unanimously 
that  they  would  take  no  further  part  in  the  war;  but 
Napoleon  himself  was  not  yet  prepared  to  give  up  all 
without  a  struggle.  The  next  day,  the  4th  of  April, 
he  reviewed  some  of  his  troops,  harangued  them  on 
"  the  treasonable  proceedings  in  the  capital,"  announced 
his  intention  of  instantly  marching  thither,  and  was 
answered  by  enthusiastic  shouts  of  "Paris!  Paris!" 
He,  on  this,  conceiving  himself  to  be  secure  of  the  at- 
tachment ot  his  soldiery,  gave  orders  for  advancing  his 
head-quarters  toEssonne.  With  the  troops  which  had 
filed  through  Paris,  under  Marmont's  convention,  and 
those  which  had  followed  himself  from  Troyes,  nearly 
50,000  men  were  once  more  assembled  around  Fon- 
tainebleau ;  arid  with  such  support  Napoleon  was  not 
yet  so  humbled  as  to  fear  hazarding  a  blow,  despite  all 
the  numerical  superiority  of  the  allies. 

When,  however,  he  retired  to  the  chateau,  after  the 
review,  he  was  followed  by  his  marshals,  and  respect- 
fully, but  firmly,  informed,  that  if  he  refused  to  nego- 
tiate on  the  basis  of  his  personal  abdication,  and  per- 
sisted in  risking  an  attack  on  Paris,  they  would  not  ac- 
company him.  He  paused  for  a  moment  in  silence — 
and  a  long  debate  ensued.  The  statements  and  argu- 
ments which  he  heard  finally  prevailed  ;  and  Napoleon 


1814.]  FONTAINEBLEAU.  343 

drew  up,  ana  signed,  in  language  worthy  of  the  solemn 
occasion,  this  act : — 

"  The  allied  powers  having  proclaimed  that  the  em- 
peror Napoleon  is  the  sole  obstacle  to  the  re-establish- 
ment of  peace  in  Europe,  he,  faithful  to  his  oath,  de- 
clares that  he  is  ready  to  descend  from  the  throne,  to 
quit  France,  and  even  to  relinquish  life,  for  the  good 
of  his  country,  which  is  inseparable  from  the  rights  of 
his  son,  from  those  of  the  regency  in  the  person  of  the 
empress,  and  from  the  maintenance  of  the  laws  of  the 
empire.  Done  at  our  palace  of  Fontainebleau,  April 
4th,  1814. 

"  NAPOLEON." 

Bonaparte  appointed  Caulaincourt  to  bear  this  docu- 
ment to  Paris  on  his  behalf;  and  the  marshals  propos- 
ed that  Ney  should  accompany  him  as  their  representa- 
tive. It  was  suggested  that  Marmont  also  should  form 
part  of  the  deputation;  but  he  was  in  command  of  the 
advanced  division  at  Essonne,  and  Macdonald  was 
nam^d  in  his  stead.  These  officers  now  desired  to 
know  on  what  stipulations,  as  concerned  the  emperor 
personally,  they  were  to  insist.  "On.  none,"  he  ans- 
wered ;  "  obtain  the  best  terms  you  can  for  France — 
for  myself  I  ask  nothing." 

Caulaincourt,  Ney,  and  Macdonald  immediately  com- 
menced their  journey ;  and  on  reaching  Essonne,  re- 
ceived intelligence  which  quickened  their  speed.  Vic- 
tor, and  many  other  officers  of  the  first  rank,  not.  ad- 
mitted to  the  council  at  Fontainebleau,  and  consider- 
ing the  events  of  the  two  preceding  days  in  the  capital 
as  decisive,  had  already  sent  in  their  adhesion  to  the 
provisional  government ;  and  Marmont,  the  commander 
of  Napoleon's  division  in  advance,  had  not  only  taken 
the  same  step  for  himself  personally,  but  entered  into 
a  separate  convention  the  night  before,  under  which  it 
had  been  settled  that  he  should  forthwith  march  his 
troops  within  the  lines  of  the  allied  armies.  The  mar- 
shals of  the  mission  entreated  Marmont  to  suspend  his 
purpose,  and  repair  with  themselves  to  Paris.  He 
complied ;  and  on  arriving  in  the  capital,  they  found 
themselves  surrounded  on  all  sides  with  the  shouts  of 


344  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1814. 

Vive  le  roil  Such  sounds  accompanied  them  to  the 
hotel  of  Talleyrand,  where  they  were  forthwith  admit- 
ted to  the  presence  of  the  emperor  of  Russia.  The 
act  of  abdication  was  produced  ;  and  Alexander  ex- 
pressed his  surprise  that  it  should  contain  DO  stipula- 
tions for  Napoleon  personally;  "But  I  have  been  his 
friend,"  said  he,  ''and  I  will  willingly  be  his  advocate. 
I  propose  that  he  should  retain  his  imperial  title,  with 
the  sovereignty  of  Elba  or  some  other  island." 

When  the  marshals  retired  from  Alexander's  pres- 
ence, it  still  remained  doubtful  whether  the  abdication 
would  be  accepted  in  its  present  form,  or  the  allies 
would  insist  on  an  unconditional  surrender.  There 
came  tidings  almost  on  the  instant  which  determined 
the  question.  Napoleon  had,  shortly  after  the  mission 
left  him,  sent  orders  to  general  Souham,  who  command- 
ed at  Essonne  in  the  absence  of  Marmont,  to  repair  to 
his  presence  at  Fontainebleau.  Souham,  who,  like  all 
the  other  upper  officers  of  Marmont's  corps  (with  but 
two  exceptions),  approved  of  the  convention  of  t|je  3d, 
was  alarmed  on  receiving  this  message.  His  brethren, 
being  summomed  to  council,  participated  in  his  fears ; 
and  the  resolution  was  taken  to  put  the  convention  at 
once  in  execution.  The  troops  were  wholly  igno- 
rant of  what  was  intended,  when  they  commenced 
their  march  at  five  in  the  morning  of  the  5th  ;  and  for 
the  first  time  suspected  the  secret  views  of  their  chiefs, 
when  they  found  themselves  in  the  midst  of  the  allied 
lines,  and  watched  on  all  sides  by  overwhelming  num- 
bers, in  the  neighborhood  of  Versailles.  A  violent 
commotion  ensued;  some  blood  was  shed  ;  but  the 
necessity  of  submission  was  so  obvious,  that  ere  long 
they  resumed  the  appearance  of  order,  and  were  can- 
toned in  quiet  in  the  midst  of  the  allies. 

This  piece  of  intelligence  was  followed  by  more  oi 
like  complexion.  Officers  of  all  ranks  began  to  aban- 
don the  camp  at  Fontainebleau,  and  present  themselves 
to  swear  allegiance  to  the  new  government.  Talley- 
rand said  wittily,  when  some  one  called  Marmont  a 
traitor,  "  His  watch  only  went  a  little  faster  than  the 
others." 


1814.]  PARIS FONTAINEBLEAU.  345 

At  length,  the  allied  princes  signified  their  resolution 
to  accept  of  nothing  but  an  unconditional  abdica- 
tion ;  making  the  marshals,  however,  the  bearers  of 
their  unanimous  accession  to  the  proposals  of  Alexan- 
der in  favor  of  Napoleon  and  his  house;  which,  as 
finally  shaped,  were  these  : 

1st,  The  imperial  title  to  be  preserved  by  Napoleon, 
with  the  free  sovereignty  of  Elba,  guards,  and  a  navy 
suitable  to  the  extent  of  that  island,  and  a  pension, 
from  France,  of  six  millions  of  francs  annually  :  2d 
The  duchies  of  Parma,  Placentia,  and  Guastalla  to  b^ 
granted  in  sovereignty  to  Maria  Louisa  and  her  heirs  ; 
and,  3d,  Two  millions  and  a  half  of  francs  annually  to  be 
pai4  by  the  French  government,  in  pensions  to  Jose- 
phine and  the  other  members  of  the  Bonaparte  family. 

Ere  the  marshals  returned  from  Paris,  Napoleon  re- 
viewed his  guard  again  ;  and  it  was  obvious  to  those 
about  him  that  he  still  hankered  after  the  chances  of 
another  field.  We  may  imagine  that  his  thoughts 
were  like  those  of  the  Scottish  usurper  : — 

"I  have  lived  long  enough  :  my  May  of  life 

Is  fallen  into  the  sear,  the  yellow  leaf 

. .  .  Come,  put  mine  armor  on ;  give  me  my  staff. 
....  The  Thanes  fly  from  me." 

He  sometimes  meditated  a  march  southward,  collecting 
on  his  way  the  armies  of  Augereau  and  Soult,  and  re- 
opening the  campaign  as  circumstances  might  recom- 
mend, behind  either  the  Loire  or  the  Alps.  At  other 
times  the  chance  of  yet  rousing  the  population  of  Paris 
recurred  to  his  imagination.  Amid  these  dreams,  of 
which  every  minute  more  clearly  showed  the  vanity, 
Napoleon  received  the  ultimatum  of  the  allies.  He 
hesitated,  and  pondered  long  ere  he  would  sign  his  ac- 
ceptance of  it.  The  group  of  his  personal  followers 
had  been  sorely  thinned ;  and  the  armies  of  the  allies, 
gradually  pushing  forward  from  Paris,  had  nearly  sur- 
rounded Foritainebleau,  ere  he  at  length  (on  the  llth 
of  April)  abandoned  all  hope,  and  executed  an  instru- 
ment, formally  "renouncing  for  himself  and  his  heirs 
the  thrones  of  France  and  of  Italy." 

Napoleon  remained  long  enough  at  Fontainebleau  to 


246  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1814. 

hear  of  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbon  monarchy,  and 
the  triumphant  entrance  of  the  count  d'Artois  into 
Paris,  as  lieutenant  for  his  brother,  Louis  XVIII. ;  and 
of  another  event,  which  ought  to  have  given  hirn 
greater  affliction.  Immediately  on  the  formation  of 
the  provisional  government,  messengers  had  been  sent 
from  Paris  to  arrest  the  progress  of  hostilities  between 
Soult  and  Wellington.  But,  wherever  the  blame  of 
intercepting  and  holding  back  these  tidings  may  have 
lain,  the  English  general  received  no  intelligence  of 
the  kind  until,  pursuing  his  career  of  success,  he  had 
fought  another  great  and  bloody  battle,  and  achieved 
another  victory,  beneath  the  walls  of  Toulouse.  This 
unfortunate,  because  utterly  needless,  battle  occurred 
on  the  llth  of  April.  On  the  14th  the  news  of  the 
fall  of  Paris  reached  lord  Wellington  ;  and,  Soult  soon 
afterward  signifying  his  adhesion  to  the  new  govern- 
ment, his  conqueror  proceeded  to  take  part  in  the  final 
negotiations  of  the  allies  at  Paris. 

It  was  on  the  20th  of  April  that  Napoleon  once  more 
called  his  officers  about  him,  and  signified  that  they 
were  summoned  to  receive  his  last  adieus.  Several  of 
the  marshals  and  others,  who  had  some  time  before 
sworn  fealty  to  the  king,  were  present.  "  Louis,"  said 
he,  "has  talents  and  means  ;  he  is  old  and  infirm  ;  and 
will  not,  I  think,  choose  to  give  a  bad  name  to  his 
reign.  If  he  is  wise,  he  will  occupy  my  bed,  and  only 
change  the  sheets.  But  he  must  treat  the  army  well, 
and  take  care  not  to  look  back  on  the  past,  or  his  time 
will  be  brief.  For  you,  gentlemen,  I  am  no  longer  to 
be  with  you; — you  have  another  government;  and  it 
will  become  you  to  attach  yourselves  to  it  frankly, 
and  serve  it  as  faithfully  as  you  have  served  me." 

He  now  desired  that  the  relics  of  his  imperial  guard 
might  be  drawn  up  in  the  court-yard  of  the  castle.  He 
advanced  to  them  on  horseback;  and  tears  dropped 
from  his  eyes  as  he  dismounted  in  the  midst.  "  All 
Europe,"  said  Napoleon,  "  has  armed  against  me. 
France  herself  has  deserted  me,  and  chosen  another 
dynasty.  I  might,  with  my  soldiers,  have  maintained  a 
civil  war  for  years — but  it  would  have  rendered  France 


1814.]         LEAVES  FONTAINEBLEAU.  347 

unhappy.  Be  faithful  to  the  new  sovereign  whom  your 
country  has  chosen.  Do  not  lament  my  fate :  I  shall 
always  be  happy  while  I  know  that  you  are  so.  I  could 
have  died — nothing  was  easier — but  I  will  always 
follow  the  path  of  honor.  I  will  record  with  my  pen 
the  deeds  we  have  done  together.  I  cannot  embrace 
you  all,"  (he  continued,  taking  the  commanding  officer 
m  his  arms) — "but  I  embrace  your  general.  Bring 
hither  the  eagle.  Beloved  eagle  !  may  the  kisses  I  be- 
stow on  you  long  resound  in  the  hearts  of  the  brave ! 
Farewell,  my  children — farewell,  my  brave  companions 
— surround  me  once  more — farewell !" 

Amid  the  silent  but  profound  grief  of  these  brave 
men,  submitting  like  himself  to  the  irresistible  force  of 
events,  Napoleon  placed  himself  in  his  carriage,  and 
drove  rapidly  from  Fontainebleau. 

Of  all  that  lamented  the  fall  of  this  extraordinary 
man,  there  was  perhaps  no  one  who  shed  bitterer  tears 
than  the  neglected  wife  of  his  youth.  Josephine  had 
fled  from  Paris  on  the  approach  of  the  allies ;  but  being 
assured  of  the  friendly  protection  of  Alexander,  returned 
to  Malmaison  ere  Napoleon  quitted  Fontainebleau. 
The  czar  visited  her  frequently,  and  endeavored  to 
soothe  her  affliction.  But  the  ruin  of  "her  Achilles," 
"  her  Cid"  (as  she  now  once  more,  in  the  day  of  misery, 
called  Napoleon),  had  entered  deep  into  her  heart. 
She  sickened  and  died  before  the  allies  left  France. 

Maria  Louisa,  meanwhile,  and  her  son,  were  taken 
under  the  personal  protection  of  the  emperor  of  Austria, 
and  had  begun  their  journey  to  Vienna  some  time  ere 
Bonaparte  reached  Elba. 

Four  commissioners,  one  from  each  of  the  great 
allied  powers,  Austria,  Russia,  Prussia,  and  England, 
accompanied  Bonaparte  on  his  journey.  He  was  at- 
tended by  Bertrand,  grand  master  of  the  palace,  and 
some  other  attached  friends  and  servants ;  and  while 
fourteen  carriages  were  conveying  him  and  his  im- 
mediate suite  towards  Elba,  700  infantry  and  about  150 
cavalry  of  the  imperial  guard  (all  picked  men,  and  all 
volunteers),  marched  in  the  same  direction,  to  take  on 
them  the  military  duties  of  the  exiled  court 


348  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1814. 

Napoleon  came  within  view  of  his  new  dominions  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  4th  of  May,  and  at  noon,  the  day 
after,  made  his  public  entrance  into  the  town  of  Porto 
Ferraio,  amid  all  possible  demonstrations  of  welcome 
and  respect. 

The  Russian  and  Prussian  commissioners  did  not 
accompany  him  beyond  the  coast  of  Provence :  the 
Austrian,  baron  Kohler,  and  the  English,  sir  Neil 
Campbell,  landed  with  Napoleon,  and  took  up  their 
residence  at  Ferraio.  He  continued  for  some  time  to 
treat  both  of  these  gentlemen  with  every  mark  of  dis- 
tinction, and  even  cordiality :  made  them  the  com- 
panions of  his  table  and  excursions  ;  and  conversed  with 
apparent  openness  and  candor  on  the  past,  the  present, 
and  the  future.  "  There  is  but  one  people  in  the 
world,"  said  he  to  colonel  Campbell — "the  English — 
the  rest  are  only  so  many  populaces.  I  tried  to  raise 
the  French  to  your  level  of  sentiment,  and  failing  to  do 
so,  fell  of  course.  1  am  now  politically  dead  to  Europe. 
Let  me  do  what  I  can  for  Elba.  .  .  .It  must  be  con- 
fessed," said  he,  having  climbed  the  hill  above  Ferraio, 
from  whence  he  could  look  down  on  the  whole  of  his 
territory  as  on  a  map — "it  must  be  confessed,"  said 
the  emperor,  smiling,  "  that  my  island  is  very  small." 

The  island,  however,  was  his;  arid,  as  on  the  eye 
itself,  a  very  small  object  near  al  hand  fills  a  much 
greater  space  than  the  largest  which  is  distant,  so,  in 
the  mind  of  Napoleon,  that  was  always  of  most  impor- 
tance in  which  his  personal  interests  happened  for  the 
time  to  be  most  concerned.  The  island — mountainous 
and  rocky,  for  the  most  part  barren,  and  of  a  circum- 
ference not  beyond  sixty  miles — was  his;  and  the  em- 
peror forthwith  devoted  to  Elba  the  same  anxious  care 
and  industry  which  had  sufficed  for  the  whole  affairs 
of  France,  and  the  superintendence  and  control  of  half 
Europe  besides.  He,  in  less  than  three  weeks,  had 
explored  every  corner  of  the  island,  and  projected  more 
improvements  of  all  sorts  than  would  have  occupied  a 
long  lifetime  to  complete.  He  even  extended  his  em- 
pire by  sending  some  dozen  or  two  of  his  soldiers  tr 
take  possession  of  a  small  adjacent  islet,  hitherto  left  un 


1814.]  AT    ELBA.  349 

occupied  for  fear  of  corsairs.  He  established  four  dif- 
ferent residences  at  different  corners  of  Elba,  and  was 
continually  in  motion  from  one  to  another  of  them. 
Wherever  he  was,  all  the  etiquettes  of  the  Tuileries 
were,  as  far  as  possible,  adhered  to;  and  Napoleon's 
eight  or  nine  hundred  veterans  were  reviewed  as  fre- 
quently and  formally  as  if  they  had  been  the  army  of 
Austerlitz  or  of  Moscow.  His  presence  gave  a  new 
stimulus  to  the  trade  and  industry  of  the  islanders  ;  the 
small  port  of  Ferraio  was  crowded  with  vessels  from 
the  opposite  coasts  of  Italy;  and,  such  was  still  the 
power  of  his  name,  that  the  new  flag  of  Elba  (covered 
with  Napoleon's  bees)  traversed  with  impunity  the  seas 
most  infested  with  the  Moorish  pirates. 

Bonaparte's  eagerness  as  to  architectural  and  other 
improvements  was,  ere  long,  however,  checked  in  a 
manner  sufficiently  new  to  him — namely,  by  the  want 
of  money.  The  taxes  of  the  island  were  summarily 
increased  ;  but  this  gave  rise  to  discontent  among  the 
Elbese,  without  replenishing  at  all  adequately  the  empe- 
ror's exchequer.  Had  the  French  government  paid  his 
pension  in  advance,  or  at  least  quarterly,  as  it  fell  due, 
even  that  would  have  borne  a  slender  proportion  to  the 
demands  of  his  magnificent  imagination.  But  Na- 
poleon received  no  money  whatever  from  the  Bourbon 
court  ;  and  his  complaints  on  this  head  were  unjustly, 
and  unwisely,  neglected.  These  new  troubles  imbit- 
tered  the  spirit  of  Bonaparte;  and,  the  first  excitement 
of  novelty  being  over,  he  sank  into  a  state  of  compara- 
tive indolence,  and  apparently  of  listless  dejection  ;  from 
which,  however,  he  was,  ere  long,  to  be  roused  effect- 
ually by  the  course  of  events  in  that  great  kingdom, 
almost  in  sight  of  whose  shores  he  had  been  permitted 
to  preserve  the  shadow  of  sovereign  state. 

Louis  had  been  called  to  the  throne  by  the  French 
senate,  in  a  decree  which  at  the  same  time  declared 
the  legislative  constitution  as  composed  of  an  heredi- 
tary sovereign  and  two  houses  of  assembly,  to  be  fixed 
and  unchangeable;  which  confirmed  the  rights  of  all 
who  had  obtained  property  in  consequence  of  'the  events 
of  the  revolution,  and  the  titles  and  orders  conferred  by 


350  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1814 

Bonaparte :  in  a  word,  which  summoned  the  Bourbon 
to  ascend  the  throne  of  Napoleon — on  condition  that 
he  should  preserve  that  political  system  which  Napo- 
leon had  violated.  Louis,  however,  though  he  pro- 
ceeded to  France  on  this  invitation,  did  not  hesitate  to 
date  his  first  act  in  the  twentieth  year  of  his  reign  ;  and 
though  he  issued  a  charter,  conferring,  as  from  his  own 
free  will,  every  privilege  which  the  senate  claimed  for 
themselves  and  the  nation,  this  mode  of  commencement 
could  not  fail  to  give  deep  offence  to  those,  not  origin- 
ally of  his  party,  who  had  consented  to  his  recall. 
These  men  saw,  in  such  assumptions,  the  traces  of  those 
old  doctrines  of  divine  right,  which  they  had  through 
life  abhorred  and  combated  ;  and  asked  why,  if  all  their 
privileges  were  but  the  gifts  of  the  king,  they  might  not, 
on  any  tempting  opportunity,  be  withdrawn  by  the 
same  authority  ?  They,  whose  possessions  and  titles 
had  all  been  won  since  the  death  of  Louis  XVL,  ware 
startled  when  they  found,  that  according  to  the  royal 
doctrine,  there  had  been  no  legitimate  government  all 
that  while  in  France.  The  exiled  nobles,  meanwhile, 
were  naturally  the  personal  friends  and  companions  of 
the  restored  princes :  their  illustrious  names,  and,  we 
must  add,  their  superior  manners,  could  not  foil  to  ex- 
cite unpleasant  feelings  among  the  new-made  dukes 
and  counts  of  Napoleon.  Among  themselves  it  was 
no  wonder  that  expectations  were  cherished,  and  even 
avowed,  of  recovering  gradually,  if  not  rapidly,  the 
estates  of  which  the  revolution  had  deprived  them.  But 
the  most  powerful  and  dangerous  source  of  discontent 
was  the  army;  and  if  judicious  means  had  been  adopted 
concerning  this  it  is  very  probable  that  the  alarms  of 
the  other  classes  now  alluded  to  might  have  ere  long 
subsided.  The  allies,  in  the  moment  of  universal  de- 
light and  conciliation,  restored  at  once,  and  without 
stipulation,  the  whole  of  the  prisoners  who  had  fallen 
into  their  hands  during  the  war.  At  least  150,000 
veteran  soldiers  of  Bonaparte  were  thus  poured  into 
France  ere  Louis  was  well  seated  on  the  throne  ;  men, 
the  greater  part  of  whom  had  witnessed  nothing  of  the 
last  disastrous  campaigns ;  who  had  sustained  them- 


1814.]  DISCONTENTS    IN    FRANCE.  351 

selves  in  their  exile  by  brooding  over  the  earlier  vic- 
tories in  which  themselves  had  had  a  part ;  and  who 
now,  returning  fresh  and  vigorous  to  their  native  soil, 
had  but  one  answer  to  every  tale  of  misfortune  which 
met  them  :  "  These  things  could  never  have  happened 
had  we  been  here." 

The  restored  king  endeavored  to  conciliate  the  af- 
fections of  the  army,  but  everything  went  wro*ig. 
The  French  soldiery  remained  cantoned  in  the  country 
in  a  temper  stern,  gloomy,  and  sullen;  jealous  of  the 
prince  whose  bread  they  were  eating;  eager  to  wipe 
out  the  memory  of  recent  disasters  in  new  victories; 
and  cherishing  more  and  more  deeply  the  notion  (not 
perhaps  unfounded)  that  had  Napoleon  not  been  be- 
trayed at  home,  no  foreigners  could  ever  have  hurled 
him  from  his  throne.  Nor  could  such  sentiments  fail 
to  be  partaken,  more  or  less,  by  the  officers  of  every 
rank  who  had  served  under  Bonaparte.  They  felt, 
almost  universally,  that  it  must  be  the  policy  of  the 
Bourbons  to  promote,  as  far  as  possible,  others  rather 
than  themselves.  And  even  as  to  those  of  the  very 
highest  class — could  any  peaceful  honors  compensate, 
to  such  spirits  as  Ney  and  Soult,  for  a  revolution,  that 
forever  shrouded  in  darkness  the  glittering  prizes  on 
which  Napoleon  had  encouraged  them  to  speculate? 
Were  the  comrades  of  Murat  and  Bernadotte  to  sit 
down  in  contentment  as  peers  of  France,  among  the 
Montmorencies  and  the  Rohans,  who  considered  them 
at  the  best  as  low-born  intruders,  and  scorned,  in  private 
society,  to  acknowledge  them  as  members  of  their  or- 
der? If  we  take  into  account  the  numerous  personal 
adherents  whom  the  imperial  government,  with  all  the 
faults  of  its  chief,  must  have  possessed — and  the  political 
humiliation  of  France  in  the  eyes  of  all  Europe,  as  well 
as  of  the  French  people  themselves,  immediately  con- 
nected with  the  disappearance  of  Napoleon — we  shall 
have  some  faint  conception  of  that  mass  of  multifarious 
griefs  and  resentments,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  un- 
wieldy and  inactive  Louis  occupied,  ere  long,  a  most 
unenviable  throne — and  on  which  the  eagle-eyed  exile 


352  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1814. 

of  Elba  gazed  with  reviving  hope,  even  before  the  sum- 
mer of  1814  had  reached  its  close. 

Ere  then,  as  we  have  seen,  the  demeanor  and  con- 
duct of  Napoleon  were  very  different  from  what  they 
had  been  when  he  first  took  possession  of  his  mimic 
empire.  Ere  then  his  mother,  his  sister  Pauline  (a 
woman,  whose  talents  for  intrigue  equalled  her  personal 
churns),  and  not  a  few  ancient  arid  attached  servants, 
both  of  his  civil  government  and  of  his  army,  had  found 
their  way  to  Elba,  arid  figured  in  "his  little  seriate." 
Pauline  made  repeated  voyages  to  Italy,  and  returned 
again.  New  and  busy  faces  appeared  in  the  circle  of 
Porto  Ferraio — and  disappeared  forthwith — no  one 
knew  whence  they  had  come  or  whither  they  went; 
an  air  of  bustle  and  of  mystery  pervaded  the  atmo- 
sphere of  the  place.  Sir  Neil  Campbell  found  it  more 
and  more  difficult  to  obtain  access  to  the  presence  of 
Bonaparte — which  the  refusal  of  the  English  govern- 
ment to  acknowledge  the  imperial  title,  and  this  officer's 
consequent  wantofany  very  definite  character  at  Elba, 
left  him  no  better  means  of  overcoming  than  to  under- 
take journeys  and  voyages,  thereby  gaining  a  pretext 
for  paying  his  respects  at  every  departure  and  return. 
Sir  Neil  early  suspected  that  some  evil  was  hatching, 
and  repeatedly  remarked  on  the  absurdity  of  withholding 
Napoleon's  pension,  thereby  tempting  him,  as  it  were, 
to  violence.  But  neither  the  reports  nor  the  reclama- 
tions of  this  gentleman  appear  to  have  received  that 
attention  which  they  merited. 

What  persons  in  France  were  actually  in  communi- 
cation on  political  subjects*  with  the  turbulent  court  of 
Elba,  during  that  autumn  and  the  following  winter,  is 
likely  to  remain  a  secret :  that  they  were  neither  few, 
nor  inactive,  nor  unskilful,  the  event  will  sufficiently 
prove.  The  chiefs  of  the  police  and  of  the  post-office 
had  been  removed  by  Louis ;  but  the  whole  inferior 
machinery  of  these  establishments  remained  untouched; 
and  it  is  generally  believed,  that  both  were  early  and 
sedulously  employed  in  the  service  of  the  new  conspiracy. 
We  have  seen  that  Soult  was  commander-in-chief  of 
the  army ;  and  it  is  very  difficult,  on  considering  the 


INTRIGUES    OF    THE    BONAPARTISTS.  353 

subsequent  course  of  events  to* doubt,  that  he  also  mnde 
a  svsiematic  use  of  his  authority  with  the  same  views, 
distribu'ing  and  arranging  the  troops  according  to  far 
other  rules  than  the  interests  of  his  royal  master. 

Ere  the  autumn  closed,  Bonaparte  granted  furloughs 
on  various  pretexts  to  about  200  of  his  guardsmen,  and 
these  were  forthwith  scattered  over  France,  actively 
disseminating  the  praise's  of  their  chief,  and  though  prob- 
ably not  aware  how  soon  such  an  attempt  was  medi- 
tated, preparing  the  minds  of  their  ancient  comrades 
for  considering  it  as  by  no  means  unlikely  that  he  would 
yet  once  more  appear  in  the  midst  of  them.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  a 'notion  soon  prevailed,  that  Napoleon  would 
revisit  the  soil  of  France  in  the  spring  of  the  coming 
year.  He  was  toasted  among  the  soldiery,  and  else- 
where also,  under  the  soubriquet  of  corporal  Violet. 
That  early  flower,  or  a  riband  of  its  color,  was  the 
symbol  of  rebellion,  and  worn  openly,  in  the  sight  of 
the  unsuspecting  Bourbons. 

Their  security  was  as  profound  as  hollow ;  nor  was 
it  confined  to  them.  The  representatives  of  all  the 
European  princes  had  met  in  Vienna,  to  settle  finally 
a  number  of  questions  left  undecided  at  the  termination 
of  the  war.  Talleyrand  was  there  for  France,  and 
Wellington  for  England;  and  yet  it  is  on  all  hands 
admitted,  that  no  surprise  was  ever  more  sudden,  com- 
plete, and  universal  than  theirs,,  when  on  the  llth  of 
March,  1815,  a  courier  arrived  among  them  with  the 
intelligence  that  Napoleon  Bonaparte  had  reared  his 
standard  in  Provence. 
23 


CHAPTER  XL 

NAPOLEON  AGAIN  IN  FKANCE — The  Hundred  Days — The  Emperor  upon 
the  Throne  once  more — Prepares  for  War — He  heads  his  Army  on 
the  Belgian  Frontier — Defeats  Blucher  at  Ligny — Battle  of  Quartre- 
bas— The  English  fall  back  on  Waterloo— Battle  of  Waterloo- 
Napoleon  arrives  at  Paris — Abdicates  again — At  Rochefort — Em- 
barks in  the  Bellerophon — Decision  of  the  English  Government — Na- 
poleon banished  to  St.  Helena — His  Life  at  Longwood — Sir  Hudson 
Lowe — The  Health  of  the  Captive  fails — Dies  at  St.  Helena  May  5tb, 
1821,  aged  52  years— A.  D.  1815—1821. 

ESCAPING  every  precaution  to  detain  him,  he  had  left 
Elba  on  the  26th  of  February,  and  on  the  1st  of  March 
he  was  once  more  off  Cannes — the  same  spot  which 
had  received  him  from  Egypt,  and  at  which  he  had 
embarked  ten  months  before  for  Elba.  There  was  no 
force  whatever  to  oppose  his  landing  ;  and  his  handful 
of  men — 500  grenadiers  of  the  guard,  200  dragoons, 
and  100  Polish  lancers,  these- last  without  horses,  and 
carrying  their  saddies  on  their  backs — were  immediate- 
ly put  in  motion  on  the  road  to  Paris.  Twenty-five 
grenadiers,  whom  he  detached  to  summon  Antibes, 
were  arrested  on  the  instant  by  the  governor  of  that 
place  ;  but  he  despised  this  omen,  and  proceeded  with- 
out a  pause.  He  bivouacked  that  night  in  a  plantation 
of  olives,  with  all  his  men  about  him.  As  soon  as  the 
moon  rose,  the  reveille  sounded.  A  laborer  going  thus 
early  afield,  recognized  the  emperor's  person,  and,  with 
a  cry  of  joy,  said  he  had  served  in  the  army  of  Italy, 
and  would  join  the  march.  "  Here  is  already  a  rein- 
forcement," said  Napoleon  -r  and  the  march  recommen- 
ced. Early  in  the  morning  they  passed  through  the 
town  of  Grasse,  and  halted  on  the  height  beyond  it — 
where  the  whole  population  of  the  place  forthwith  sur- 
rounded them,  some  cheering,  the  great  majority  look- 


1815.]  LABEDOYERE.  355 

ing  on  in  perfect  silence,  but  none  offering  any  show 
of  opposition.  The  roads  were  so  bad  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, that  the  pieces  of  cannon  which  they  had 
with  them  were  obliged  to  be  abandoned  in  the  course 
of  the  day,  but  they  had  marched  full  twenty  leagues 
ere  they  halted  for  the  night  at  Cerenon.  On  the  5th, 
Napoleon  reached  Gap.  He  was  now  in  Dauphiny, 
called  "  the  cradle  of  the  revolution,"  and  the  sullen 
silence  of  the  Provencals  was  succeeded  by  popular  ac- 
clamations ;  but  still  no  soldiers  had  joined  him — and 
his  anxiety  was  great. 

It  was  between  Mure  and  Vizele  that  Cambronne, 
who  commanded  his  advanced  guard  of  forty  grena- 
diers, met  suddenly  a  battalion  sent  forwards  from 
Grenoble  to  arrest  the  march.  The  colonel  refused  to 
parley  with  Cambronne  ;  either  party  halted  until  Na- 
poleon himself  came  up.  He  did  not  hesitate  for  a 
moment.  He  dismounted,  and  advanced  alone  ;  some 
paces  behind  him  came  a  hundred  of  his  guard,  with 
their  arms  reversed.  There  was  perfect  silence  on  all 
sides  until  he  was  within  a  few  yards  of  the  men.  He 
then  halted,  threw  open  his  surtout  so  as  to  show  the 
star  of  ths  legion  of  honor,  and  exclaimed,  "  If  there  be 
among  you  a  soldier  who  desires  to  kill  his  general  — 
his  emperor — let  him  do  it  now.  Here  I  am." — The 
old  cry  of  Vive  lempereur  burst  instantaneously  from 
every  lip.  Napoleon  threw  himself  among  them,  and 
taking  a  veteran  private,  covered  with  cheverons  and 
medals,  by  the  whisker,  said,  "Speak  honestly,  old 
Moustache,  couldst  thou  have  had  the  heart  to  kill  thy 
emperor?"  The  man  dropped  his  ramrod  into  his 
piece  to  show  that  it  was  uncharged,  and  answered, 
"Judge  if  I  could  have  done  thee  much  harm — all  the 
rest  are  the  same."  Napoleon  gave  the  word,  and  the 
old  adherents  and  the  new  marched  together  on  Gre- 
noble. «• 

Some  space  ere  they  reached  that  town,  colone. 
Labedoyere,  an  officer  of  noble  family,  and  who  had 
been  promoted  by  Louis  XVIII. ,  appeared  on  the  road 
before  them,  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  the  seventh 
of  the  line.  These  men,  and  the  emperor's  little  column, 


356  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1815. 

on  coming  within  view  of  each  other,  rushed  simul- 
taneously from  the  ranks  and  embraced  with  mutual 
shouts  of  Live  Napoleon  !  Live,  the  Guard  !  Live 
the  Seventh  !  Labedoyere  produced  an  eagle,  which 
he  had  kept  concealed  about  his  person,  and  broke 
open  a  drum  which  was  found  to  be  filled  with  tricolor 
cockades;  these  ancient  ensigns  were  received  with 
redoubled  enthusiasm.  This  was  the  first  instance  of 
an  officer  of  superior  rank  voluntarily  espousing  the 
side  of  the  invader.  The  impulse  thus  afforded  was 
decisive  :  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  general  Marchand, 
commandant  of  Grenoble,  the  whole  of  that  garrison, 
when  he  approached  the  walls,  exclaimed,  Vive  Vempe- 
reur  !  Their  conduct,  however,  exhibited  a  singular 
spectacle.  Though  thus  welcoming  Napoleon  with 
their  voices,  they  would  not  so  far  disobey  the  gover- 
nor as  to  throw  open  the  gates.  On  the  other  hand,  no 
argument  could  prevail  on  them  to  fire  on  the  advan- 
cing party.  In  the  teeth  of  all  the  batteries;  Bonaparte 
calmly  planted  a  howitzer  or  two  and  blew  the  gates 
open  ;  and  then,  as  if  the  spell  of  discipline  was  at  once 
dissolved,  the  garrison  broke  from  their  lines,  and  Na- 
poleon in  an  instant  found  himself  dragged  from  his 
horse,  and  borne  aloft  on  these  men's  shoulders  to- 
wards the  principal  inn  of  the  place,  amid  the  clam- 
ors of  enthusiastic  and  delirious  joy.  Marchand  re- 
mained faithful  to  his  oath  ;  and  was  dismissed  without 
injury.  Next  morning  the  authorities  of  Grenoble 
waited  on  Napoleon,  and  tendered  their  homage.  He 
reviewed  his  troops,  now  about  7000  in  numbers  ;  and 
on  the  9th  of  March,  recommenced  his  march  on 
Lyons. 

On  the  10th  Bonaparte  came  within  sight  of  Lyons, 
and  was  informed  that  Monsieur  and  marshal  Mac- 
donald  had  arrived  to  take  the  command,  barricaded 
the  bridge  of  Guillotierre,  arfid  posted  themselves  at  the 
head  of  a  large  force  to  dispute  the  entrance  of  the 
town.  Nothing  daunted  with  this  intelligence,  the 
column  moved  on,  and  at  the  bridge  of  Lyons,  as  at 
the  gates  of  Grenoble,  all  opposition  vanished  when  his 
person  was  recognized  by  the  soldiery.  The  prince 


1815.]  LYONS.  357 

and  Macdonald  were  forced  to  retire,  ami  Napoleon 
entered  tfie  second  city  of  France  in  triumph.  From 
the  10th  to  the  13th  he  remained  in  this  city,  and  here 
he  first  formally  resumed  the  functions  of  civil  govern- 
ment, publishing  his  decrees  and  issuing  his  proclama- 
tions with  a  boldness  and  authority,  which  might  well 
make  Louis  tremble  for  his  fate. 

At  Paris,  as  soon  as  the  first  news  of  his  landing 
arrived,  his  partisans  began  to  act  zealously  in  his  be- 
half. They  gave  out  everywhere  that,  as  the  procla- 
mation from  the  gulf  of  Juan  had  stated,  Bonaparte  was 
come  back  thoroughly  cured  of  that  ambition  which 
had  armed  Europe  ngainst  his  throne  ;  that  he  consid- 
ered his  act  of  abdication  void,  because  the  Bourbons 
had  not  accepted  the  crown  on  the  terms  on  which  it 
was  offered,  and  had  used  their  authority  in  a  spirit,  and 
for  purposes,  at  variance  with  the  feelings  and  the  in- 
terests of  the  French  people  ;  that  he  was  come  to  be 
no  longer  the  dictator  of  a  military  despotism,  but  the 
first  citizen  of  a  nation  which  he  had  resolved  to  make 
the  freest  of  the  free  :  that  the  royal  government  wish- 
ed to  extinguish  by  degrees  all  memory  of  the  revolu- 
tion— that  he  was  returning  to  consecrate  once  more 
the  principles  of  liberty  and  equality,  ever  hateful  in 
the  eyes  of  the  old  nobility  of  France,  and  to  secure  the 
proprietors  of  forfeited  estates  against  all  the  machina- 
tions of  that  dominant  faction  :  in  a  word,  that  he  was 
fully  sensible  of  the  extent  of  his  past  errors,  both  of 
domestic  administration  and  of  military  ambition,  and 
desirous  of  nothing  but  the  opportunity  of  devoting,  to 
the  true  welfare  of  peaceful  France,  those  unrivalled 
talents  and  energies  which  he  had  been  rash  enough  to 
abuse  in  former  days.  With  these  suggestions  they 
mingled  one  tale  which  rung  louder  and  louder  from 
the  tongue  of  every  Bonapartist,  and  which  royalist  and 
republican  found,  day  after  day,  new  reason  to  believe  ; 
namely,  that  the  army  were,  high  and  low,  on  the  side 
of  Napoleon  ;  that  every  detachment  sent  to  intercept 
him,  would  but  swell  his  force ;  in  a  word,  that — un- 
less the  people  were  to  rise  en  masse — nothing  could 
prevent  the  outlaw  from  taking  possession  of  the  Tui- 


358  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1815 

leries  ere  a  fortnight  more  had  passed  over  the  head  of 
Louis. 

Louis  was  well  nigh  in  despair,  when  marshal  Ney 
volunteered  his  services  to  take  the  command  of  a  large 
body  of  troops,  whose  fidelity  was  considered  sure,  and 
who  were  about  to  be  sent  to  Lons-le-Saunier,  there  to 
intercept  and  arrest  the  invader.  Well  aware  of  this 
great  officer's  influence  in  the  army,  the  king  did  .pot 
hesitate  to  accept  his  proffered  assistance  ;  and  Ney, 
on  kissing  his  hand  at  parting,  swore  that  in  the  course 
of  a  week  he  would  bring  Bonaparte  to  his  majesty's 
feet  in  a  cage,  like  a  wild  beast. 

On  reaching  Lons-le-Saunier,  Ney  received  a  letter 
from  Napoleon,  summoning  him  to  join  his  standard  as 
"  the  bravest  of  the  brave."  In  how  far  he  guided  or 
followed  the  sentiments  of  his  soldiery  we  know  not, 
but  the  fact  is  certain,  that  he  and  they  put  themselves 
in  motion  forthwith,  and  joined  the  march  of  Bonaparte 
on  the  17th  at  Auxerre.  Ney,  in  the  sequel,  did  not 
hesitate  to  avow  that  he  had  chosen  the  part  of  Napo- 
leon long  ere  he  pledged  his  oath  to  Louis ;  adding 
that  the  greater  number  of  the  marshals  were,  like  him- 
self, original  members  of  the  Elbese  conspiracy.  Of 
the  latter  of  these  assertions  no  other  proof  has  hitherto 
been  produced  ;  and  the  former  continues  to  be  gene- 
rally as  well  as  mercifully  discredited. 

In  and  about  the  capital  there  still  remained  troops 
far  more  than  sufficient  in  numbers  to  overwhelm  the 
advancing  column,  and  drag  its  chief  to  the  feet  of 
Louis.  He  intrusted  the  command  of  these  battalions 
to  one  whose  personal  honor  was  as  clear  as  his  mili- 
tary reputation  was  splendid — marshal  Macdonald  ; 
who  proceeded  to  take  post  at  Melun,  in  good  hope, 
notwithstanding  all  that  had  happened,  of  being  duly 
supported  in  the  discharge  of  his  commission. 

On  the  19th,  Napoleon  slept  once  more  in  the 
chateau  of  Fontainebleau  ;  on  the  morning  of  the  20th. 
he  advanced  through  the  forest  in  full  knowledge  of 
Macdonald's  arrangements — and  he  advanced  alone. 
It  was  about  noon  that  the  marshal's  troops,  who  had 
Cor  some  time  been  underarms  on  an  eminence  beyond 


1815.]  AGAIN    ENTERS    PARIS.  359 

the  wood,  listening,  apparently  with  delight,  to  the  loyal 
strains  of  Vive  Henri  Quatre  and  La  Belle  Gabrielle, 
perceived  suddenly  a  single  open  carriage  coming  at 
full  speed  towards  them  from  among  the  trees.  A 
handful  of  Polish  horsemen,  with  their  lances  reversed, 
following  the  equipage.  The  little  flat  cocked-hat — 
the  gray  surtout — the  person  of  Napoleon  was  recog- 
nized. In  an  instant  the  men  burst  from  their  ranks, 
surrounded  him  with  the  cries  of  Vive  I'empereur,  and 
trampled  their  white  cockades  in  the  dust. 

Macdonald  escaped  to  Paris  ;  but  his  master  had  not 
awaited  the  issue  of  the  last  stand  at  Melun.  Amid 
the  tears  and  lamentations  of  the  loyal  burghers  of  the 
capital,  and  the  respectful  silence  of  those  who  really 
wished  for  the  success  of  his  rival,  Louis  had  set  off 
from  the  Tuileries  in  the  middle  of  the  preceding  night. 
Macdonald  overtook  him,  and  accompanied  him  to  the 
frontier  of  the  Netherlands,  which  he  reached  in  safety. 
There  had  been  a  plan  organized  by  generals  Lalle- 
mand  and  Lefebvre  for  seizing  the  roads  between  Paris 
and  Belgium,  and  intercepting  the  flight  of  the  king  ; 
but  marshal  Mortier  had  been  successful  in  detecting 
and  suppressing  this  movement. 

On  the  evening  of  the  20th  of  March,  Napoleon  once 
more  entered  Paris.  He  came  preceded  and  followed 
by  the  soldiery,  on  whom  alone  he  had  relied,  and  who, 
byt  whatever  sacrifices,  had  justified  his  confidence. 
The  streets  were  silent  as  the  travel-worn  cavalcade 
passed  along;  but  all  that  loved  the  name  or  the  cause 
of  Napoleon  were  ready  to  receive  him  in  the  Tuile- 
ries ;  and  he  was  almost  stifled  by  the  pressure  of  those 
enthusiastic  adherents,  who,  the  moment  he  stopped, 
mounted  him  on  their  shoulders,  and  carried  him  so  in 
triumph  up  the  great  staircase  of  the  palace.  He 
found,  in  the  apartments  which  the  king  had  just  vaca- 
ted, a  brilliant  assemblage  of  those  who  had  in  former 
times  filled  tlte  most  prominent  places  in  his  own  coun- 
cils and  court :  among  the  rest  was  Fouche.  This 
personage  was  not  the  only  one  present  who  had  re- 
cently intrigued  with  the  Bourbons  against  Bonaparte 
. — with  as  much  apparent  ardor,  and  perhaps  with  about 


360  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1815. 

as  much  honesty,  as  in  other  times  he  had  ever  brought 
to  the  service  of  the  emperor.  "Gentlemen,"  said 
Napoleon,  as  he  walked  round  the  circle,  "  it  is  disin- 
terested people  who  have  brought  me  back  to  my  cap- 
ital. It  is  the  subalterns  and  the  soldiers  that  have  done 
it  all.  I  owe  everything  to  the  people  and  the  army." 

The  congress  at  Vienna  were  as  we  have  seen  struck 
with  profound  astonishment  when  the  news  of  Napo- 
leon's daring  movement  reached  them.  They  at  once 
issued  a  proclamation  in  these  words  :  "  By  breaking 
the  convention  which  established  him  in  Elba,  Bona- 
parte destroys  the  only  legal  title  on  which  his  exist- 
ence  depended.  By  appearing  again  in  France,  with 
projects  of  confusion  and  disorder,  he  has  deprived 
himself  of  the  protection  of  the  law,  and  manifested  to 
the  universe  that  there  can  be  neither  peace  nor  truce 
with  him.  The  powers  consequently  declare,  that 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  has  placed  himself  without  the 
pale  of  civil  and  social  relations,  and  that,  as  an  enemy 
and  disturber  of  the  tranquillity  of  the  world,  he  has 
rendered  himself  liable  to  public  vengeance." 

A  formal  treaty  was  forthwith  entered  into,  by  which 
the  four  great  powers  bound  themselves  to  maintain 
each  of  them  at  least  150,000  troops  in  arms,  until 
Bonaparte  should  either  be  dethroned,  or  reduced  so 
low  as  no  longer  to  endanger  the  peace  of  Europe.  The 
other  states  of  the  continent  were  to  be  invited  to  join 
the  alliance,  furnishing  contingents  adequate  to  their 
respective  resources.  The  king  of  France  was  to  be 
requested  to  sign  the  treaty  also  ;  but  with  reference 
to  this  article  an  explanatory  note  was  affixed,  by  the 
representatives  of  the  prince  regent  of  England,  deny- 
ing on  the  part  of  his  royal  highness,  any  wish  to  force 
a  particular  government  on  the  people  of  France:  and 
it  was  also  stipulated,  that  in  case  Britain  should  not 
furnish  all  the  men  agreed  on,  she  should  compensate 
by  paying  at  the  rate  of  30/.  per  annum  for  every 
cavalry  soldier,  and  20/.  per  annum  for  every  foot 
soldier  under  the  full  number.  Such  was  the  treaty 
of  Vienna  ;  but  the  zeal  of  the  contracting  parties  ere 
long  went  far  beyond  the  preparations  indicated  in  its 


1815.]  THE  HUNDRED  DAYS.  361 

terms;  and,  in  effect,  Napoleon  was  hardly  reseated  on 
his  throne  ere  he  learned  that  he  must  in  all  likelihood 
maintain  it  against  300,000  Austrians, 225,000  Russians, 
236,000  Prussians,  an  army  of  150,000  men  furnished  by 
the  minor  states  of  Germany,  50,000  contributed  by 
the  government  of  the  Netherlands,  and  50,000  Eng- 
lish, commanded  by  the  duke  of  Wellington  ;  in  all,  one 
million  eleven  thousand  soldiers. 

His  preparations  to  meet  this  gigantic  confederacy 
began  from  the  moment  when  he  re-established  him- 
self in  the  Tuileries.  Carnot  became  once  more  minis- 
ter of  war  ;  and  what  Napoleon  and  he,  when  laboring 
together  in  the  re-organization  of  an  army,  could  effect, 
had  been  abundantly  manifested  at  the  commencement 
of  the  consulate.  The  army  cantoned  in  France,  when 
Bonaparte  landed  at  Cannes,  numbered  175,000;  the 
cavalry  had  been  greatly  reduced  :  and  the  disasters 
of  1812,  1813,  and  1814  were  visible  in  the  miserable 
deficiency  of  military  stores  and  arms,  especially  of  ar- 
tillery. By  incredible  exertions,  notwithstanding  the 
pressure  of  innumerable  cares  and  anxieties  of  all  kinds, 
and  although  the  temper  of  the  nation  prevented  him 
from  having  recourse  to  the  old  method  of  conscription 
— the  emperor,  ere  May  was  over,  had  375,000  men  in 
arms,  including  an  imperial  guard  of  40,000  chosen 
veterans,  in  the  most  splendid  state  of  equipment 
and  discipline,  a  large  and  brilliant  force  of  cavalry, 
and  a  train  of  artillery  of  proportional  extent  and 
excellence. 

Napoleon,  however,  made  sundry  attempts  to  open  a 
negotiation  with  the  allies — nor  wanted  there  states- 
men, even  in  England,  to  lend  their  best  support  to  his 
reclamations.  He  urged  three  arguments  in  defence 
of  his  breach  of  the  convention  by  which  he  had  be- 
come sovereign  of  Elba:  1st,  the  detention  of  his  wife 
and  son  by  the  court  of  Austria  :  2d,  the  nonpayment 
of  his  pension  :  and  3dly,  the  voice  of  the  French  na- 
tion, which  he,  according  to  his  own  statement,  had  but 
heard  and  obeyed. 

Meanwhile,  the  royalists  at  home  had  failed  in  all 
their  endeavors  to.  prevent  his  authority  from  being 

'  ' 


362  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1815 

recognized  all  over  France.  The  duke  d'Angouleme 
was  soon  surrounded  by  the  superior  numbers  of  gene- 
ral Gilly,  and  capitulated — on  condition  of  being  permit- 
ted to  disband  his  followers,  and  embark  at  Cette  for 
Spain — a  convention  which  Napoleon  did  not  hesitate 
to  ratify.  The  duchess  of  Angouleme,  daughter  of  Louis 
XVI.,  displayed  at  Bordeaux  such  heroism,  as  drew 
from  Napoleon  himself  the  sarcastic  eulogy,  "She  is 
the  only  man  of  her  race ;"  but  in  spite  of  the  loyalty 
of  the  inhabitants  all  her  efforts  were  vain.  The  gar- 
rison was  strong ;  they  had  caught  the  general  flame ; 
and  the  princess  was  at  length  compelled  to  take  refuge 
in  an  English  frigate.  The  duke  of  Berri  repaired,  on 
the  first  alarm,  to  La  Vendee :  but  the  regular  troops 
in  that  faithful  province  were,  thanks  to  the  previous 
care  of  king  Louis's  war  minister,  so  numerous  and  so 
well  posted,  that  this  effort  failed  also,  and  the  duke  es- 
caped to  England.  Ere  March  had  ended,  the  tricolor 
flag  was  displayed  on  every  tower  in  France. 

Having  discovered  that  there  was  no  chance — if  in- 
deed he  had  ever  contemplated  one — of  persuading  the 
emperor  of  Austria  to  restore  his  wife  and  son  to  him, 
Napoleon,  ere  he  had  been  many  days  at  the  Tuileries, 
set  on  foot  a  scheme  for  carrying  them  off  from  Vienna, 
by  a  mixture  of  stratagem  and  force.  There  were 
French  people  in  the  suite  of  Maria  Louisa  who  easily 
embarked  in  this  plot,  and  forged  passports,  relays  of 
horses,  and  all  other  appliances  had  been  so  well  pro- 
vided, that  but  for  a  single  individual,  who  betrayed 
the  design,  there  seems  to  have  been  a  considerable 
probability  of  its  success.  On  discovering  this  affair, 
the  emperor  of  Austria  dismissed  the  French  attendants 
of  his  daughter,  and  caused  her  to  discontinue  the  use 
of  the  arms  and  liveries  of  Napoleon,  which  she  had 
hitherto  retained — nay,  even  the  imperial  title  itself, 
resuming  those  of  her  own  family,  and  original  rank  as 
archduchess.  This  procedure  could  not  be  concealed 
at  Paris,  and  completed  the  conviction  of  all  men, 
that  there  was  no  hope  whatever  of  avoiding  another 
European  war ;  and  almost  at  the  same  time  a  rash 
expedition  of  Murat,  which,  if  successful,  might  have 


1815.]      THE  HUNDRED  DAYS MURAT.          363 

materially  influenced  the  conduct  of  Austria,  reached 
its  end. 

Among  the  subjects  which,  prior  to  Bonaparte's  re- 
appearance, occupied  the  congress  of  Vienna,  one  of 
the  chief  was  the  conduct  of  Murat  during  the  cam- 
paign of  1814.  Talleyrand  charged  him  with  having, 
throughout,  been  a  traitor  to  the  cause  of  the  allies  ; 
and  exhibited  a  series  of  intercepted  letters,  from  him 
to  Napoleon,  in  proof  of  this  allegation.  The  duke  of 
Wellington,  on  the  other  hand,  considered  these  docu- 
ments as  proving  no  more  than  that  Murat  had  reluct- 
antly lifted  his  banner  against  the  author  of  his  for- 
tunes. Talleyrand  had  always  hated  Murat,  and  de- 
spised him  (the  father  of  the  king  of  Naples  had  origi- 
nally been  steward  in  the  household  of  the  Perigords), 
and  persisted  in  urging  on  the  congress  the  danger  of 
suffering  a  sovereign  of  Bonaparte's  family  and  crea- 
tion to  sit  on  the  throne  which  belonged  of  right  to  the 
king  of  the  Sicilies.  The  affair  was  still  under  discus- 
sion, to  the  mortal  annoyance  of  the  person  whose  in- 
terests were  at  stake,  when  Napoleon  landed  at  Cannes. 
Murat  resolved  to  rival  his  brother's  daring ;  and, 
without  further  pause,  marched,  at  the  head  of  50,000 
men,  to  Rome,  from  which  the  pope  and  cardinals  fled 
precipitately  at  his  approach.  The  Neapolitans  then 
advanced  into  the  north  of  Italy,  scattering  proclama- 
tions by  which  Joachim  invited  all  true  Italians  to 
rally  round  him,  and  assist  in  the  erection  of  their 
country  into  one  free  and  independent  state,  with  him 
at  its  head.  The  Austrian  commander  in  Lombardy 
forthwith  put  his  troops  in  motion  to  meet  Murat.  The 
rencontre  took  place  at  Occhio-bello.  The  Neapolitans 
fled  in  confusion  almost  at  the  sight  of  the  enemy;  and 
Murat,  unable  to  rally  them,  sought 'personal  safety  in 
a  fishing  vessel,  which  landed  him  near  Toulon,  about 
the  end  of  May.  Napoleon  was  in  vain  entreated  to 
receive  him  at  Paris.  He  refused,  asking,  with  bitter 
scorn,  if  the  war  between  France  and  Naples,  which 
subsisted  in  1814,  had  ever  been  terminated  by  treaty? 
Murat  lingered  for  some  time  in  obscurity  near  Toulon; 
and  relanding  on  the  coast  of  Naples  after  the  king  of 


364  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1815. 

the  two  Sicilies  had  been  re-established  on  that  throne, 
in  the  vain  hope  of  exciting  an  insurrection  and  re- 
covering what  he  had  lost,  was  seized,  tried,  and  exe- 
cuted. This  vain,  but  high-spirited  man,  met  his  fate 
with  heroic  fortitude;  and  Napoleon,  at  St.  Helena 
often  said  that  the  fortune  of  the  world  might  have  been 
changed,  had  there  been  a  Murat  to  head  the  French 
cavalry  at  Waterloo. 

The  result  of  this  rash  expedition  enabled  Austria  to 
concentrate  all  her  Italian  forces  also  for  the  meditated 
reinvasioruof  France.  The  Spanish  army  began  to 
muster  towards  the  passes  of  the  Pyrenees  ;  the  Rus- 
sians, Swedes,  and  Danes  were  already  advancing 
from  the  north  ;  the  main  armies  of  Austria,  Bavaria, 
and  the  Rhenish  princes  were  rapidly  consolidating 
themselves  along  the  upper  Rhine.  Blucher  was  once 
more  in  command  of  the  Prussians,  in  the  Netherlands; 
and  Wellington,  commanding  in  chief  the  British, 
Hanoverians,  and  Belgians,  had  also  established  his 
head-quarters  at  Brussels  by  the  end  of  May.  Every 
hour  the  clouds  were  thickening  apace,  and  it  became 
evident,  that,  if  Napoleon  remained  much  longer  in 
Paris,  the  war  would  burst  simultaneously  on  every 
frontier  of  his  empire. 

He  had  no  intention  to  abide  at  home  the  onset  of 
his  enemies;  but  the  situation  of  civil  affairs  was  such 
as  to  embarrass  him,  in  the  prospect  of  departure,  with 
difficulties  which,  in  former  days,  were  not  used  to  per- 
plex the  opening  of  his  campaigns. 

Hard  indeed  was  his  task  from  the  beginning — to 
conciliate  to  himself  heartily  the  political  faction  who 
detested,  and  had  assisted  in  overthrowing,  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Bourbons,  and  this  without  chilling  the 
attachment  of  the  military,  who  despised  these  coadju- 
tors, both  as  theorists  and  as  civilians,  arid  had  welcom- 
ed Napoleon  only  as  the  certain  harbinger  of  war,  re- 
venge, and  plunder. 

With  the  views  of  these  spirits,  eager  for  blood  and 
plunder,  and  scornful  of  all  liberty  but  the  license  of 
the  camp,  Napoleon  was  engaged  in  the  endeavor  to 
reconcile  the  principles  and  prejudices  of  men  who  had 


1815.]  THE  HUNDRED  DAYS.  365 

assisted  in  rebuilding  his  throne  only  because  they  put 
faith  in  the  assertions  of  himself  and  his  friends,  that 
he  had  thoroughly  repented  of  the  despotic  system  on 
which  he  had  formerly  ruled  France.  As  a  first  step 
to  fasten  the  good- will  of  these  easy  believers,  he,  im- 
mediately on  arriving  in  Paris,  proclaimed  the  freedom 
of  the  press ;  but  he  soon  repented  of  this  concession. 
In  spite  of  all  the  watchfulness,  and  all  the  briberies  of 
his  police,  he  could  never  bend  to  his  own  service  the 
whole  of  this  power.  The  pure  republicans — even  the 
pure  royalists — continued  to  have  their  organs;  and 
the  daily  appeals  of  either  to  the  reason  and  the  pas- 
sions of  a  people  so  long  strange  to  the  exercise  of 
such  influence,  otherwise  than  in  subservience  to  the 
government  of  the  time,  whatever  that  might  be,  pro- 
duced such  effects,  that  almost  from  the  time  in  which 
he  bestowed  the  boon,  he  was  occupied  with  devising 
pretexts  for  its  recall.  He  ere  long  caused,  perhaps, 
more  resentment  by  some  efforts  to  thwart  the  conduct 
of  the  press,  than  would  have  resulted  from  the  abso- 
lute prolongation  of  its  slavery.  Some  even  of  the 
decrees  of  Lyons  were  hard  to  be  reconciled  with  the 
professions  of  one  who  disclaimed  any  wish  to  inter- 
fere with  the  sacred  right  of  the  nation  to  frame  its 
constitution  for  itself.  But  in  almost  every  act  of  his 
government  after  he  reached  Paris,  he  furnished  ad- 
ditional evidence  how  imperfectly  his  mind  had  divest- 
ed itself  of  the  ancient  maxims.  Even  the  edict 
emancipating  the  press  from  all  control  was  an  assump- 
tion on  his  part  of  the  complete  power  of  legislation. 
The  same  might  be  said  of  another  decree,  abolishing 
negro  slavery  and  the  slave  trade,  which  he  published 
shortly  after;  but  this  second  measure  exposed  him  to 
other  comments.  Who  could  seriously  believe  that  at 
that  moment  of  tumult,  ere  France  was  even  in  sem- 
blance entirely  his.  and  while  all  Europe  was  openly 
arming  against  him>he  had  leisure  tor  the  affairs  of 
the  negroes  ?  This  display  of  philanthropy  was  set 
down  universally  for  a  stage-trick  ;  arid  men  quickened 
their  eyes,  lest  such  unsubstantial  shows  in  the  distant 


366  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1815. 

horizon  might  be  designed  to  withdraw  their  attention 
from  the  foreground. 

One  of  the  decrees  of  Lyons  had  summoned  all  the 
electoral  colleges  to  meet  on  the  Champ -de -Mai  for  the 
purpose  principally  of  forming  a  new  constitution. 
The  time  had  been  originally  announced  for  the  10th 
of  May,  but  the  meeting  did  not  take  place  so  early, 
and  the  task  of  proposing  a  constitutional  scheme  for 
its  consideration,  proved  far  more  difficult  than  the 
emperor  had  contemplated.  He  had  the  assistance,  in 
this  labor,  of  Carnot  and  Sieyes,  whose  names  would 
have  carried  great  weight  with  the  republican  party, 
had  not  both  of  these  old  jacobins  and  regicides  ac- 
cepted, on  entering  the  emperor's  service,  high  rank  in 
his  peerage — a  proceeding  in  direct  violation  of  all  the 
professions  of  their  lives.  He  was  farther  favored 
with  the  aid  of  his  brother  Lucien,  who,  in  spite  of 
all  previous  misunderstandings,  returned  on  this  occa- 
sion to  Paris  ;  influenced,  probably,  by  the  same  egre- 
gious vanity  which  made  him  fancy  himself  a  poet,  and 
hoping,  under  existing  circumstances,  to  impress  Napo- 
leon with  such  a  sense  of  his  value  as  might  secure 
him  henceforth  a  commanding  influence  in  the  govern- 
ment of  France.  The  Abbe  Sieyes,  and  Lucien  also, 
had  had  some  experience  ere  now  of  Napoleon  in  the 
character  of  a  constitution-maker.  He  was  no  longer 
so  powerful  as  he  had  been  when  they  formerly  toiled 
together  upon  such  a  task  :  disputes  arose ;  and  the 
emperor,  to  cut  these  short,  and  give  a  decisive  proof 
of  his  regard  for  freedom  of  debate,  soon  broke  up 
the  discussion,  retired  from  the  Tuileries  to  the  small 
palace  called  the  Elysee,  and  there  drew  up  the  scheme 
which  pleased  himself,  and  which  was  forthwith  pub- 
lished under  the  title  of  "  Act  Additional  to  the  Con- 
stitutions of  the  Empire." 

The  substance  of  the  "  additional  act"  disappointed 
all  those  who  hankered  after  the  formal  exposition  of 
first  principles;  but  it  must  be  allowed  that  its  pro- 
visions seem  to  include  whatever  is  needful  for  the  ar- 
rangement of  a  free  representative  constitution  ;  hered- 
'tary  monarchy;  an  hereditary  peerage;  a  house  of 


1815.]  THE    CHAMP-DE-MAI.  367 

representatives,  chosen  by  the  people,  at  least  once 
within  every  five  years;  yearly  taxes,  levied  only  by 
the  whole  legislature ;  responsible  ministers  ;  irremova- 
ble judges ;  and,  in  all  criminal  cases  whatever,  the 
trial  by  jury.  The  act,  however,  was  published ;  the 
electoral  colleges  accepted  of  it,  as  they  had  done  of 
all  its  predecessors ;  and  it  by  degrees  came  out  that  . 
the  business  of  the  Champ-de-Mai  was  to  be — not  even 
the  discussion  of  the  imperial  scheme,  but  only  to 
swear  submission  to  its  regulations,  and  witness  a 
solemn  distribution  of  eagles  to  those  haughty  bands 
who  acknowledged  no  law  but  that  of  the  sword. 

This  promised  assemblage  was  preceded  by  one  of 
the  rabble  of  Paris,  convoked  in  front  of  the  Tuileries 
on  the  17th  of  May,  and  there  feasted  and  harangued 
by  Napoleon — a  condescension  which  excited  lively 
displeasure  among  his  soldiery.  He  himself  looked 
and  spoke  as  one  thoroughly  ashamed  of  what  he  had 
done  and  was  doing.  It  had  been  his  desire  to  stimu- 
late among  these  people  something  of  the  old  zeal  of 
the  revolutionary  period,  in  case  Paris  should  be  once 
more  threatened  by  a  foreign  enemy ;  but  he  had  the 
double  mortification  to  find  that  the  army  considered 
their  touch  as  contamination,  and  that  among  them- 
selves the  name  of  Loujs  was  almost  as  popular  as  his 
own.  Even  the  Dames  des  holies,  so  conspicuous  in 
the  revolutionary  tumults,  screamed  royalist  ditties  in 
his  ear  as  they  drank  his  wine  ;  and  the  only  hearty 
cheers  were  those  of  the  day -laborers,  who  had  profited 
by  his  resumption  of  some  great  public  works  sus- 
pended by  the  king's  government. 

The  Champ-de-Mai  itself,  which,  despite  its  name, 
fell  on  the  1st  of  June,  turned  out  hardly  a  more  suc- 
cessful exhibition.  Napoleon,  his  brothers,  and  the 
great  civil  functionaries  appeared,  in  theatric  dresses,  in 
the  midst  of  an  enormous  amphitheatre,  where  the  dep- 
uties, sent  from  the  departments  to  swear  allegiance 
to  the  emperor  and  the  additional  act,  were  almost  lost 
in  the  military  among  whom  the  eagles  were  to  be  dis- 
tributed. The  enthusiasm  was  confined  to  these.  The 
same  ominous  silence  which  prevailed  at  the  coronation 


368  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1815. 

of  1804  was  preserved  among  the  people.  The  sun 
shone  bright,  and  the  roar  of  cannon  filled  every  pause 
of  the  martial  music.  It  was  a  brilliant  spectacle;  but 
Napoleon  retired  from  it  in  visible  dejection. 

Three  days  after,  the  two  houses  met ;  and  while 
that  of  the  peers,  composed  of  persons  who  all  owed 
their  rank,  and  most  of  them  much  besides,  to  Napo- 
leon, showed  every  disposition  to  regulate  their  conduct 
by  his  pleasure,  there  appeared  from  the  beginning  a 
marked  spirit  of  independence  in  a  considerable  pro 
portion  of  the  representative  body.  The  emperor's  ad- 
dress to  both  was  moderate  and  manly.  He  requested 
their  support  in  the  war  which  circumstances  had  ren- 
dered unavoidable,  and  professed  his  desire  that  they 
should  consider  the  "  additional  act"  and  all  other  sub- 
jects of  national  interest,  and  suggest  whatever  altera- 
tions might  appear  to  them  improvements.  Some 
debates,  by  no  means  gratifying  to  Napoleon,  ensued  ; 
but  he  had  no  leisure  for  witnessing  much  of  their  pro- 
ceedings. It  was  now  needful  that  he  should  appear 
once  more  in  his  own  element. 

Napoleon  had  now,  amongother  preparations,  strongly 
fortified  Paris  and  all  the  positions  in  advance  of  it  on 
the  Seine,  the  Marne,  and  the  Aube,  and  among  the 
passes  of  the  Vosgesian  hills.  Lyons  also  had  been 
guarded  by  very  formidable  outworks.  Massena,  at 
Metz,  and  Suchet,  on  the  Swiss  frontier,  commanded 
divisions  which  the  emperor  judged  sufficient  to  restrain 
Schwartzenberg  for  some  time  on  the  upper  Rhine : 
should  he  drive  them  in,  the  fortresses  behind  could 
hardly  fail  to  detain  them  much  longer.  Meantime, 
the  emperor  himself  had  resolved  to  attack  the  most 
alert  of  his  enemies,  the  Prussians  and  the  English,  be- 
yond the  Sambre — while  the  Austrians  were  thus  held 
in  check  on  the  upper  Rhine,  and  ere  the  armies  of  the 
north  could  debouche  upon  Manheim,  to  co-operate  by 
their  right  with  Wellington  and  Blucher,  and  by  their 
left  with  Schwartzenberg.  Of  the  Belgium  army,  and 
even  of  the  Belgian  people,  he  believed  himself  to  pos- 
sess the  secret  good-will,  and  that  one  victory  would 
place  the  allies  in.  a  hostile  country.  By  some  daring 


1815.]          REVIEWS    HIS    ARMY    AT    BEAUMONT.  369 

battle,  and  some  such  splendid  success,  he  yet  hoped  to 
shatter  the  confidence  of  the  European  confederacy  ; 
nor — even  had  he  entertained  little  hope  of  this  kind — 
was  the  situation  of  affairs  in  Paris  such  as  to  recom- 
mend another  protracted  defensive  warfare  within 
France.  The  fatal  example  of  1814  was  too  near:  it 
behooved  Napoleon  to  recommence  operations  in  the 
style  which  had  characterized  his  happier  campaigns. 

He  left  Paris  on  the  evening  of  the  llth  of  June,  and 
arrived  at  Vervins  on  the  12th,  and  assembled  and  re- 
viewed at  Beaumont,  on  the  14th,  the  whole  of  the  army 
which  had  been  prepared  to  act  immediately  under  his 
own  orders.  They  had  been  carefully  selected,  and 
formed,  perhaps,  the  most  perfect  force,  though  far  from 
the  most  numerous,  with  which  he  had  ever  taken  the 
field.  Bonaparte  saw  before  him  25,000  of  his  imperial 
guard,  25,000  cavalry  in  the  highest  condition,  300 
pieces  of  artillery  admirably  served,  and  infantry  of  the 
line,  almost  all  veterans,  sufficient  to  swell  his  muster 
to  at  least  135,000  men.  He  reminded  them  that  this 
was  the  anniversary  of  Marengo  and  of  Friedland,  and 
asked,  "Are  they  and  we  no  longer  the  same  men? 
The  madmen  !"  he  continued,  "a  moment  of  prosperity 
has  blinded  them.  The  oppression  and  humiliation  of 
the  French  people  is  beyond  their  power.  If  they  entei 
France,  they  will  there  find  their  tomb.  Soldiers!  we 
have  forced  marches,  battles,  and  dangers  before  us. 
For  every  Frenchman  who  has  a  heart,  the  moment  is 
arrived  to  conquer  or  to  perish !"  Such  was  his  ora- 
tion :  and  never  was  army  more  thoroughly  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  its  chief. 

Blucher's  army  numbered  at  this  time  about  100,000 
men,  and,  extending  along  the  line  of  the  Sambre  and 
the  Meuse,  occupied  Charleroi,  Namur,  Givet,  and 
Liege.  They  communicated  on  the  right  with  the  left 
of  the  Anglo-Belgian  army,  under  Wellington,  whose 
head-quarters  were  at  Brussels.  This  army  was  not 
composed,  like  Blucher's  or  Napoleon's,  of  troops  of  the 
same  nation.  The  duke  had  under  his  command  76,000 
men.  His  first  division  occupied  Enghien,  Brairi-le- 
Comte,  and  Nivelles,  communicating  with  the  Prussian 


370  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1815. 

right  at  Charleroi.  The  second  division  (lord  Hill's) 
was  cantoned  at  Halle,  Oudenard,  and  Gramont — where 
was  most  of  the  cavalry.  The  reserve  (Sir  Thomas 
Picton's)  were  at  Brussels  and  Ghent.  The  English 
and  Prussian  commanders  had  thus  arranged  their 
troops,  with  the  view  of  being  able  to  support  each 
other,  wherever  the  French  might  hazard  their  assault. 
It  could  not  be  doubted  that  Napoleon's  mark  was 
Brussels ;  but  by  which  of  the  three  great  routes,  of 
Namur,  of  Charleroi,  or  of  Mons,  he  designed  to  force 
his  passage,  could  not  be  ascertained  beforehand. 
Fouche,  indeed,  doubly  and  trebly  dyed  in  treason,  had, 
when  accepting  office  under  Napoleon,  continued  to 
maintain  his  correspondence  with  Louis  at  Ghent,  and 
promised  to  furnish  the  allies  with  the  outline  of  the 
emperor's  plan  of  the  campaign  ere  it  began.  But 
the  minister  of  police  took  care  that  this  document 
should  not  arrive  until  the  campaign  was  decided. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th,  the  French  drove  in  all 
the  outposts  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Sambre,  and  at 
length  assaulted  Charleroi ;  thus  revealing  the  purpose 
of  the  emperor ;  namely,  to  crush  Blucher  ere  he  could 
concentrate  all  his  own  strength,  far  less  be  supported 
by  the  advance  of  Wellington.  Ziethen,  however,  held 
out,  though  with  severe  loss,  at  Charleroi  so  long,  that 
the  alarm  spread  along  the  whole  Prussian  line ;  and 
then  fell  back  in  good  order  on  a  position  between 
Ligny  and  Amand  ;  where  Blucher  now  awaited  Napo- 
leon's attack,  at  the  head  of  the  whole  of  his  army  ex- 
cept the  division  of  Bulow,  which  had  not  yet  come  up 
from  Liege.  The  scheme  of  beating  the  Prussian  di- 
visions in  detail,  had  therefore  failed ;  but  the  second 
part  of  the  plan,  namely,  that  of  separating  them  wholly 
from  Wellington,  might  still  succeed.  And  with  this 
view,  while  Blucher  was  concentrating  his  force  about 
Ligny,  the  French  held  on  the  main  road  to  Brussels 
from  Charleroi,  and  beating  in  some  Nassau  troops  at 
Frasnes,  followed  them  as  far  as  Quatre-bras ;  and  finally 
took  possession  of  that  farm-house,  so  called  because  it 
is  there  that  the  roads  from  Charleroi  to  Brussels  and 
from  Nivelles  to  Namur,  cross  each  other 


1815.]  BATTLE    OP    aUATRE-BRAS.  371 

The  English  general  at  Brussels  remained  wholly 
ignorant  of  Bonaparte's  advance  until  six  in  the  even- 
ing of  the  15th ;  and  even  then  the  intelligence  was  so 
indistinct  and  uncertain  that  his  grace  the  duke  of 
Brunswick,  and  many  of  the  upper  officers  of  the  army, 
attended  a  ball  given  by  the  duchess  of  Richmond. 
Amid  these  festivities  the  roar  of  distant  canonnade  at 
length  reached  the  ear  of  Wellington,  and  at  midnight 
the  bugle  sounded  and  the  drum  beat  in  Brussels.  In 
less  than  an  hour  the  troops  of  Picton  (who  himself  ar- 
rived that  same  night  from  England)  were  on  their 
march  to  Quatre-bras.  At  dawn  on  the  16th,  the  prince 
of  Orange  recovered  that  post  and  the  Nivelles  road, 
thus  re-establishing  Blucher's  communication  with 
Brussels.  The  other  divisions  of  the  Anglo-Belgian 
army  were  all  moving  to  Quatre-bras.  The  duke  of 
Wellington  himself  was  there  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  immediately  rode  across  the  country  to  Bry, 
where,  in  a  conference  with  Blucher,  the  subsequent 
movements  of  the  allies,  whatever  might  be  the  events 
of  this  day,  were  finally  determined. 

Napoleon,  on  coming  up  from  Charleroi,  about  noon 
on  the  16th,  hesitated  for  a  time  whether  Blucher  at 
Ligny,  or  Wellington  at  Quatre-bras,  ought  to  form  the 
main  object  of  his  attack.  The  Anglo-Belgian  army 
was  not  yet  concentrated ;  the  Prussian,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  division,  was  ;  and  he  at  length  resolved 
to  give  his  own  personal  attention  to  the  latter.  With 
the  main  strength  of  his  army,  therefore,  he  assaulted 
Blucher  at  three  in  the  afternoon ;  and  about  the  same 
time  Ney,  with  45,000  men,  commenced  seriously  (for 
there  had  been  skirmishes  ever  since  daybreak)  the 
subordinate  attack  on  the  position  of  Wellington. 

The  English  general  accepted  the  battle,  and  after  a 
severe  and  bloody  day,  night  found  him  still  in  pos- 
session of  Qautre-bras.  The  gallant  duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, fighting  in  the  front  of  the  line,  fell  almost  in  the 
beginning  of  the  battle.  The  killed  and  wounded  on 
the  side  of  the  allies  were  5000,  and  the  French  loss 
could  not  have  been  less. 

Blucher  fought  as  stern  a  battle,  but  with  worse  for- 


372  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1815 

tune.  With  80,000  men  he  had  to  sustain  the  assault 
of  90,000,  headed  by  Napoleon ;  and  the  villages  of 
Amand  and  Ligny  were  many  times  taken  and  retaken 
in  the  course  of  the  day.  It  is  said,  that  two  of  the 
French  corps  hoisted  the  black  flag  :  it  is  certain  that 
little  quarter  was  either  asked  or  given.  The  hatred 
of  the  French  and  Prussians  was  inflamed  to  the 
same  mortal  vehemence.  It  is  said  that  the  loss  on 
Blucher's  side  was  20,000  men,  and  on  the  other 
15.000 — numbers,  when  we  consider  the  amount  of  the 
troops  engaged,  all  but  unparalleled.  However,  the 
non-arrival  of  Bulow,  and  the  successive  charges  of 
fresh  divisions  of  the  enemy,  at  length  forced  Biucher 
to  retire.  In  the  course  of  the  day  the  brave  old  man 
had  his  horse  shot  under  him,  in  heading  a  charge  of 
cavalry,  and  was  ridden  over  undetected  by  both  his 
own  men  and  the  French.  He  now  retreated  on  the 
river  Dyle,  in  the  direction  of  Wavre  ;  but  contrived  to 
mask  his  movements  so  skilfully,  that  Napoleon  knew 
not  until  noon  on  the  17th  what  way  he  had  taken. 

As  soon  as  he  ascertained  this  he  committed  the 
pursuit  of  him  to  marshal  Grouchy,  and  a  corps  of 
32,000  men — and  turned  in  person  to  Quatre-bras,  in 
the  hope  of  pouring  his  main  force,  as  well  as  Ney's,  on 
Wellington,  in  a  situation  where  it  was  altogether  im- 
probable he  should  receive  any  assistance  from  Biucher. 
But  no  sooner  was  the  duke  aware  of  Blucher's  march 
on  Wavre,  than  he,  in  adherence  to  the  common  plan 
of  the  campaign,  gave  orders  for  falling  back  from 
Quatre-bras.  He  had  ere  now  been  heard  to  say,  that  if 
ever  it  were  his  business  to  defend  Brussels,  he  would 
choose  to  give  battle  on  the  field  of  Waterloo,  in  ad- 
vance of  the  forest  of  Soignies ;  and  he  now  retired 
thither — in  the  confidence  of  being  joined  there  in  the 
morning,  ere  the  decisive  contest  should  begin,  by 
Biucher.  The  day  was  rainy,  the  roads  were  covered 
deep  with  mud,  and  the  English  soldiery  are  of  all 
others  most  discouraged  by  the  command  to  retreat. 
Their  spirits,  however,  rose  gallantly,  when,  on  readi- 
ng the  destined  field,  they  became  aware  of  their 
leader's  purpose ;  and  having  taken  up  their  allotted 


1815.]  WATERLOO.  373 

stations,  they  bivouacked  under  the  storm  in  the  sure 
hope  of  battle. 

All  his  arrangements  having  been  effected  early  in 
the  evening  of  the  17th,  the  duke  of  Wellington  sent  to 
Blucher,  informing  him  that  he  had  thus  far  effected 
the  plan  agreed  on  at  Bry,  and  would  expect  two  divi- 
sions of  Prussians  to  support  him  on  the  morrow.  The 
veteran  replied  that  he  would  leave  a  single  corps  to 
hold  Grouchy  at  bay  as  well  as  they  could,  and  march 
himself  with  the  rest  of  his  army  upon  Waterloo.  The 
cross  roads  between  Wavre  and  Mont  St.  Jean  were 
in  a  horrid  condition;  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and 
Grouchy  had  32,000  men  to  attack  Thielman's  single 
division,  left  at  Wavre.  Blucher's  march,  however, 
began ;  and  if  it  occupied  longer  time  than  had  been 
anticipated,  the  fault  was  none  of  his 

The  position  of  the  duke  of  Wellington  was  before 
the  village  of  Mont  St.  Jean,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in 
advance  of  the  small  town  of  Waterloo,  on  a  rising 
ground,  having  a  gentle  and  regular  declivity  before  it 
— beyond  this  a  plain  of  about  a  mile  in  breadth — and 
then  the  opposite  heights  of  La  Belle  Alliance,  on 
which  the  enemy  would  of  course  form  their  line.  The 
duke  had  now  with  him  about  75,000  men  in  all ;  of 
whom  about  30,000  were  English.  He  formed  his  first 
line  of  the  troops  on  which  he  could  most  surely  rely — 
the  greater  part  of  the  British  foot — the  men  of  Bruns- 
wick and  Nassau,  and  three  corps  of  Hanoverians  and 
Belgians.  Behind  this,  the  ground  sinks,  and  then 
rises  again.  The  second  line,  formed  in  rear  of  the 
first,  was  composed  of  the  troops  whose  spirit  and  disci- 
pline were  more  doubtful — or  who  had  suffered  most  in 
the  action  of  Quatre-bras  ;  and  behind  them  all,  lay  the 
horse.  The  position  crosses  the  two  highways  from 
Nivelles  and  Charleroi  to  Brussels,  nearly  where  they 
unite;  these  roads  gave  every  facility  for  movements 
from  front  to  rear  during  the  action  ;  and  two  country 
roads,  running  behind  and  parallel  with  the  first  and 
second  lines,  favored  equally  movements  from  wing  to 
wing.  The  line  was  formed  convex,  dropping  back 
towards  the  forest  at  either  extremity  ;  the  right  to 


374  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1815. 

Marke  Braine,  near  Braine-la-Leude ;  the  left  to  Ter- 
la-Haye.  The  chateau  and  gardens  of  Hougomont, 
and  the  farm  house  and  enclosures  of  La  Haye  Sainte, 
about  1500  yards  apart  on  the  slope  of  the  declivity, 
were  strongly  occupied,  and  formed  the  important  out- 
works of  defence.  The  opening  of  the  country  road 
leading  directly  from  Wavre  to  Mont  St.  Jean  through 
the  wood  of  Ohain,  was  guarded  by  the  British  left ; 
while  those  running  through  Souhain  and  Frichemont, 
farther  in  advance,  might  be  expected  to  bring  the  first 
of  the  Prussians  on  the  right  flank  of  the  French  during 
their  expected  attack. 

The  field  was  open  and  fair :  and  in  case  the  enemy 
should  force  the  duke  from  his  position,  the  village  of 
Mont  St.  Jean  behind,  still  farther  back  the  town  of 
Waterloo,  and  lastly  the  great  forest  of  Soignies,  offered 
successively  the  means  of  renewing  his  defence,  and 
protecting  his  retreat.  The  British  front  extended  in 
all,  over  about  a  mile.  It  was  Wellington's  business  to 
hold  the  enemy  at  bay,  until  the  Prussian  advance 
should  enable  him  to  charge  them  with  superior  num- 
bers :  it  was  Napoleon's  to  beat  the  English  ere  Blucher 
could  disengage  himself  from  Grouchy,  and  come  out 
of  the  woods  of  Ohain;  which  being  accomplished,  he 
doubted  not  to  have  easy  work  with  the  Prussians 
amid  that  difficult  country.  He  had  in  the  field  75,000 
men ;  all  French  veterans — each  of  whom  was,  in  his 
own  estimation,  worth  one  Englishman,  and  two  Prus- 
sians, Dutch,  or  Belgians.  But  on  the  other  hand, 
Wellington's  men,  all  in  position  over  night,  had  had, 
notwithstanding  the  severe  weather,  some  hours  to  re- 
pose and  refresh  themselves :  whereas  the  army  of  Na- 
poleon had  been  on  the  march  all  through  the  hours  of 
tempestuous  darkness,  and  the  greater  part  of  them 
reached  not  the  heights  of  La  Belle  Alliance  until  the 
morning  of  the  18th  was  considerably  advanced.  Na- 
poleon himself,  however,  had  feared  nothing  so  much 
as  that  Wellington  would  continue  his  retreat  on  Brus- 
sels and  Antwerp — thus  deferring  the  great  battle  until 
the  Russians  should  approach  the  valley  of  the  Rhine ; 
and  when,  on  reaching  the  eminence  of  La  Belle  Alii- 


1815.]  WATERLOO.  375 

ance,  he  beheld  the  army  drawn  up  on  the  opposite 
side,  his  joy  was  great.  "  At  last,  then,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  at  last,  then,  I  have  these  English  in  my  grasp." 

The  tempest  abated  in  the  morning — but  the  weather 
all  day  long  was  gusty,  and  the  sky  lowering.  It  was 
about  noon  that  the  French  opened  their  cannonade, 
and  Jerome  Bonaparte,  under -cover  of  its  fire,  charged 
impetuously  on  Hougomont.  The  Nassau  men  in  the 
wood,  about  the  house,  were  driven  before  the  French ; 
but  a  party  of  English  guards  maintained  themselves  in 
the  chateau  and  garden,  despite  the  desperate  impetu- 
osity of  many  repeated  assaults.  Jerome,  masking  the 
post  thus  resolutely  held,  pushed  on  his  cavalry  and  ar- 
tillery against  Wellington's  right.  The  English  formed 
in  squares,  and  defied  all  their  efforts.  For  some  time 
both  parties  opposed  each  other  here,  without  either 
gaining  or  losing  a  foot  of  ground.  At  length,  the 
English  fire  forced  back  the  French — and  the  garrison 
of  Hougomont  were  relieved  and  strengthened. 

The  next  attempt  was  made  on  the  centre  of  the 
British  line,  by  a  great  force  of  cuirassiers  and  four 
columns  of  infantry.  The  horse,  coming  boldly  along 
the  causeway  of  Genappe,  were  met  in  the  path  by 
the  English  heavy  cavalry,  where  the  road  had  been  cut 
down  deep,  leaving  high  banks  on  either  side.  Their 
meeting  was  stern :  they  fought  for  some  time  at 
sword's  length;  at  last  the  cuirassiers  gave  way,  and 
fled  for  the  protection  of  their  artillery.  The  English 
followed  them  too  far,  got  amid  the  French  infantry, 
and  were  there  charged  by  fresh  cavalry  and  driven 
back  with  much  loss.  It  was  here  that  Picton  died. 
Meanwhile,  the  infantry  on  this  movement  had  pushed 
on  beyond  La  Have  Sainte,  and  dispersed  some  Bel- 
gian regiments  ;  but  being  then  charged  in  turn  in  front 
by  Pack's  brigade  of  foot,  and  in  flank  by  a  brigade  of 
heavy  English  horse,  were  totally  routed — losing,  be- 
sides the  slain  and  wounded,  2000  prisoners  and  two 
eagles.  The  only  favorable  result  of  this  second  grand 
attempt  was  the  occupation  of  the  farm-house  of  La 
Haye  Sainte,  which  had  been  garrisoned  by  Hanove- 
rians. And  scarcely  had  the  charge  of  Pack  proved 


376  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1815 

successful,  ere  the  French  were  again  compelled  by 
shells  and  cannon  to  evacuate  this  prize. 

The  third  assault  was  levelled  again  on  the  British 
right — where  the  infantry  awaited  it,  forming  in  a 
double  line  of  squares,  placed  chequerwise,  and  protect- 
ed in  front  by  a  battery  of  thirty  field-pieces.  The 
French  cuirassiers  charged  the  artillerymen  and  drove 
them  from  their  guns;  and  then  rode  fiercely  on  the 
squares  behind.  These  remained  steadfast  until  the 
enemy  were  within  ten  yards  of  them,  and  then  fired 
with  deadly  effect.  The  cavalry  gave  back — rallied 
again,  and  renewed  their  charge  :  this  they  did  several 
times — and  always  with  the  like  result.  Sometimes 
they  even  rode  between  the  squares  and  charged  those 
of  the  second  line.  At  length,  protracted  exposure  to 
such  cross  fire  completed  the  ruin  of  these  fearless 
cavaliers.  The  far  greater  part  of  this  magnificent  force 
was  annihilated  in  this  part  of  the  battle. 

When  the  relics  of  the  cuirassiers  withdrew,  the 
French  cannonade  opened  once  more  furiously  all  along 
the  line  ;  and  the  English  were  commanded  to  lie  flat 
on  the  ground  for  some  space,  in  order  to  diminish  its 
effects.  Lord  Wellington  had  by  this  time  lost  10,000, 
Bonaparte  at  least  15,000  men.  It  was  now  half-past 
six  o'clock.  The  heads  of  Prussian  columns  began  to 
be  discerned  among  the  woods  to  the  right  of  the 
French.  It  was  obvious  that  unless  a  last  and  decisive 
onset  should  drive  Wellington  from  the  post  which  he 
had  continued  to  hold  during  near  seven  hours  of  un- 
intermitting  battle,  his  allies  would  come  fully  into  the 
field,  and  give  him  a  vast  superiority  of  numbers  where- 
with to  close  the  work  of  the  day.  Napoleon  prepared, 
therefore,  for  his  final  struggle.  Hitherto  he  had  kept 
his  guard,  the  flower  of  his  fine  army,  out  of  the  fray. 
He  now  formed  them  into  two  columns, — desired  them 
to  charge  boldly,  for  that  the  Prussians,  whom  they 
saw  in  the  wood,  were  flying  before  Grouchy — and 
they  doubted  not  that  the  emperor  was  about  to  charge 
in  person  at  their  head.  He,  however,  looked  on  as 
they  put  themselves  in  motion,  and  committed  them  to 
ihe  guidance  of  Ney,  "the  bravest  of  the  brave," 


1815.]  WATERLOO.  377 

whose  consciousness  of  recent  treason  must  have  pre- 
pared him,  even  had  his  temper  been  less  gallant,  to  set 
all  upon  the  cast.  Four  battalions  of  the  old  guard 
only  remained  as  a  reserve ;  and  were  formed  in 
squares  to  protect  the  march  of  the  columns. 

The  English  front  by  this  time  presented  not  a  con- 
vex line,  but  a  concave,  either  wing  having  gradually 
advanced  a  little  in  consequence  of  the  repeated  repul- 
ses of  the  enemy.  They  were  now  formed  in  an  un- 
broken array,  four  deep,  and  poured  on  the  approach- 
ing columns  (each  man  firing  as  often  as  he  could  re- 
load), a  shower  which  never  intermitted.  The  wings 
kept  moving  on  all  the  while  ;  and  when  the  heads  of 
the  French  columns  approached,  they  were  exposed  to 
such  a  storm  of  musketry  in  front  and  on  either  flank, 
that  they  in  vain  endeavored  to  deploy  into  line  for  the 
attack.  They  stopped  to  make  this  attempt,  reeled, 
lost  order,  and  fled  at  last  in  one  mass  of  confusion. 

The  duke  of  Wellington  now  dismounted,  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  his  line,  and  led  them,  no  longer 
held  to  defence,  against  the  four  battalions  of  the  old 
guard — the  only  unbroken  troops  remaining — behind 
whom  Ney  was  striving  to  rally  his  fugitives. 

The  marshal,  at  Wellington's  approach,  took  post 
once  more  in  the  van,  sword  in  hand,  and  on  foot. 
But  nothing  could  withstand  the  impetuous  assault  of 
the  victorious  British.  The  old  guard  also  were  sha- 
ken. Napoleon  had  hitherto  maintained  his  usual  seren- 
ity of  aspect  on  the  heights  of  La  Belle  Alliance.  He 
watched  the  English  onset  with  his  spyglass,  became 
suddenly  pale  as  death,  exclaimed  "  They  are  mingled 
together — all  is  lost  for  the  present,"  and  rode  oft'  the 
field,  never  stopping  for  a  moment  until  he  reached 
Charleroi. 

Hardly  had  the  English  advanced  for  this  fatal 
charge,  when  Blucher's  columns,  emerging  from  the 
woods,  were  at  length  seen  forming  on  the  right  of  the 
French,  arid  preparing  to  take  part  in  the  battle.  Their 
cannonade  played  on  the  flank  of  the  old  guard,  while 
the  British  attack  in  front  was  overwhelming  them. 
The  fatal  cry  of  sanve  qui  pent  was  heard  everywhere : 


378  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1815. 

the  French  were  now  flying  pellmellin  the  most  woful 
confusion.  Blucher  and  Wellington  met  at  length  at 
the  farm-house  of  La  Belle  Alliance  ;  and  the  Prussian 
eagerly  undertook  to  continue  the  pursuit  during  the 
night,  while  the  English  general  halted  to  refresh  his 
weary  men. 

The  loss  of  Wellington's  army  on  this  great  day  was 
terrihle  :  100  officers  slain  (many  of  the  first  distinction), 
and  500  wounded,  very  many  mortally  ;  and  of  rank 
and  file  killed  and  wounded  15,000.  The  duke  himself 
had  been,  all  through  the  day,  wherever  the  danger 
was  greatest ;  and  he  alone,  and  one  gentleman  besides, 
of  all  a  very  numerous  staff,  came  off  the  ground  un- 
hurt. 

Of  the  75,000  men  whom  Napoleon  conducted  to 
this  last  and  severest  of  his  fields,  what  with  the  slain 
and  the  wounded,  and  those  who,  losing  heart  and  hope, 
deserted  and  fled  separately  to  their  homes,  not  more  than 
30,000  were  ever  again  collected  in  arms.  The  Prus- 
sians followed  hard  on  the  miserable  fugitives,  and  in 
every  hamlet  and  village  for  many  miles  beyond  La 
Belle  Alliance,  cut  down  the  lingerers  without  mercy. 

Napoleon  at  length  halted  at  Philippeville  ;  from 
which  point  he  designed  to  turn  towards  Grouchy,  and 
take  in  person  the  command  of  that  remaining  division, 
leaving  Soult  to  reassemble  and  rally,  at  Avesnes,  the 
relics  of  Waterloo.  But  hearing  that  Blucher  was  al- 
ready at  Charleroi  (which  was  true),  and  that  Grouchy 
had  been  overtaken  and  made  prisoner  (which  was 
false),  the  emperor  abandoned  his  purpose,  and  con- 
tinued his  journey,  travelling  post,  to  Paris. 

On  the  19th  tne  capital  had  been  greeted  with  the 
news  of  three  gisat  victories,  at  Charleroi,  at  Ligny, 
and  at  Quatrebas — 100  cannon  fired  in  honor  of  the 
emperor's  successes — his  partisans  proclaimed  that  the 
glory  of  France  was  secured — and  dejection  filled  the 
hearts  of  the  royalists.  On  the  morning  of  the  21st,  it 
transpired  that  Napoleon  had  arrived  the  night  before 
alone,  at  the  Elysee.  The  secret  could  no  longer  be 
kept.  A  great,  a  decisive  held  had  been  fought ; — and 
the  French  army  was  no  more. 


1815.]         ACTION  OF  THE  CHAMBERS.  379 

On  how  sandy  a  foundation,  the  exile  of  Elba  had 
rebuilt  the  semblance  of  his  ancient  authority,  a  few 
hours  of  adversity  were  more  than  sufficient  to  show. 
He  was  still  consulting  with  his  ministers  (even  they 
were  not  all  his  friends)  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  in 
what  manner  he  ought  to  inform  the  chambers  of  his 
great  misfortune,  and  what  assistance  he  should  de- 
mand, when  the  news  reached  the  Elysee  that  both  the 
assemblies  had  met  as  soon  as  the  story  of  Waterloo 
transpired,  and  passed  a  series  of  resolutions  :  one  of 
which  declared  the  state  to  be  in  danger, — and  another, 
their  sittings  permanent ;  in  other  words,  proclaimed 
his  reign  to  be  at  an  end.  If  anything  could  have  been 
wanted  to  complete  Napoleon's  conviction  that  the 
army  had  elevated  him  in  opposition  to  the  nation — it 
must  have  been  found  in  the  fact  that  the  funds  rose 
rapidly  from  the  moment  in  which  it  was  known  in 
Paris  that  the  army  was  ruined.  They  went  on  to  tell 
him  that  the  chambers  were  debating  on  the  means  of 
defending  Paris.  "  Ah,"  said  he — deeply  feeling  in 
what  loss  all  had  been  lost  to  him — "  ah,  could  they 
but  defend  them  like  my  old  guard !" 

If  Napoleon  had  listened  to  the  advice  of  his  brother 
Lucien,  and  the  few  who  really  considered  their  own 
fortunes  as  irrevocably  bound  up  with  his,  he  would 
have  instantly  put  himself  at  the  head  of  6000  of  the 
imperial  guard,  who  were  then  in  the  capital,  and  dis- 
solved the  unfriendly  senate  of  Paris,  on  the  21st  of 
June,  as  unceremoniously  as  he  had  that  of  St.  Cloud 
on  the  19th  of  Brumaire.  Lucien  said  ever  after,  that 
"  the  smoke  of  Mont  St.  Jean  had  turned  his  brain." 
He  certainly  gave  what  remained  of  the  day  to  vacil- 
lation. Late  in  the  evening  he  held  a  council,  to  which 
the  presidents  and  vice-presidents  of  both  chambers  were 
admitted.  In  their  presence  Lafayette  signified  that 
nothing  could  be  done  until  a  great  sacrifice  had  been 
made.  Maret  answered  with  fierceness ;  called  for 
severe  measures  against  the  royalists  and  the  disaffect- 
ed :  "  Had  such  been  resorted  to  earlier/'  cried  he, 
"  one  who  hears  me  would  not  be  smiling  at  the  misfor- 
tunes of  France,  and  Wellington  would  not  be  march- 


380  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1815. 

ing  on  Paris."  This  strong  allusion  to  Fouche  suited 
not  the  temper  of  the  moment.  Maret  was  murmured 
down ;  and  Carnot  himself  is  said  to  have  shed  tears 
when  he  perceived  that  the  abdication  was  judged 
-jecessary.  That  ancient  democrat  had  indeed  just 
consented  to  be  a  count;  but  he  enjoys  apparently  the 
credit  of  having  acted  on  this  occasion  as  a  good 
Frenchman.  He  saw,  say  even  the  anti-Bonapartist 
historians,  that  France  was  invaded,  and  the  same  feel- 
ings which  made  him  offer  his  own  sword  in  December, 
1813,  urged  him  now  to  oppose  any  measure  which 
must  deprive  his  country  of  the  military  talents  of  Na- 
poleon. The  emperor  heard  all  in  silence — and  broke 
up  the  meeting  without  having  come  to  any  decision. 

Early  next  morning  the  chambers  again  met,  and 
the  necessity  of  the  emperor's  abdication  was  on  the 
point  of  being  put  to  the  vote — when  Fouche  appeared 
and  sared  them  that  trouble  by  producing  the  follow- 
ing proclamation  "To  the  French  people  :" 

"  Frenchmen  !  In  commencing  war  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  national  independence,  I  relied  on  the 
union  of  all  efforts,  all  wihs,  and  all  authorities.  I  had 
reason  to  hope  for  success,  and  I  braved  all  the  decla- 
rations of  the  powers  against  me.  Circumstances  ap- 
pear to  be  changed.  I  offer  myself  as  a  sacrifice  to 
the  hatred  of  the  enemies  of  France.  May  they  prove 
sincere  in  their  declarations,  and  to  have  aimed  only  at 
me  !  My  political  life  is  ended ;  and  I  proclaim  rny 
son,  Napoleon  II.,  emperor  of  the  French.  Unite  for 
the  public  safety,  if  you  would  remain  an  independent 
nation. — Done  at  the  palace  Elysee,  June  the  22d,  1815. 

"NAPOLEON." 

The  debate  which  followed  the  production  of  this 
act  in  either  house,  but  especially  in  that  of  the  peers, 
was  violent.  In  the  latter,  Carnot,  having  received 
some  grossly  exaggerated  accounts  of  the  force  and 
success  of  Grouchy,  endeavored  to  persuade  the  as- 
sembly that  the  marshal  must  have  ere  then  added 
60,000  men  at  Laon  to  Soult  and  the  relics  of  Water- 
loo, and  so  formed  an  army  capable,  under  fit  guidance, 
of  even  yet  effectually  retrieving  the  affairs  of  France. 


1815.]  ABDICATES    AGAIN.  381 

But  Ney  had  arrived  in  Paris  the  same  morning,  and 
this  speech  called  up  the  man,  who,  if  any  single  ener- 
gies could  have  done  so,  would  have  saved  the  day  at 
Waterloo.  "  Grouchy,"  said  he,  "cannot  have  more 
than  20,  at  most  25,000  men — arid  as  to  Soult — I  my- 
self commanded  the  guard  in  the  last  assault — I  did 
not  leave  the  field  until  they  were  exterminated.  Be 
assured  there  is  but  one  course — negotiate  and  recall 
the  Bourbons.  In  their  return  I  can  see  nothing  but 
the  certainty  of  being  shot  as  a  deserter.  I  shall  seek 
all  I  have  henceforth  to  hope  for  in  America.  Take 
you  the  only  course  that  remains  for  France." 

Napoleon,  in  his  bulletins,  did  not  scruple  to  throw 
the  blame  of  his  discomfiture  on  the  misconduct  of 
his  chief  officers — particularly  of  Grouchy — and  even 
of  Ney  himself:  nor  wanted  there  devoted  men,  such 
as  Labedoyere,  to  sustain  these  most  unfounded 
charges,  and  all  other  arguments  anywise  favoring  the 
cause  of  the  emperor,  in  either  chamber.  But  the  truth 
was  great  and  prevailed.  The  senate,  no  more  than 
the  people,  could  be  deceived  now;  and  though  a  dep- 
utation waited  on  him  at  the  Elysee,  and  in  most  re- 
spectful terms  thanked  him  for  the  sacrifice  he  had 
made,  he  in  vain  endeavored  to  extort  any  direct 
avowal  that,  in  accepting  his  abdication,  they  consid- 
ered that  act  as  necessarily  accompanied  with  the  im- 
mediate proclamation  of  Napoleon  II.  The  emperor, 
for  the  last  time  clothed  in  the  imperial  garb,  and  sur- 
rounded with  his  great  officers  of  state,  received  the 
deputation  with  calmness  and  dignity,  and  dismissed 
them  with  courtesy.  He  perceived  clearly  that  there 
was  no  hope  for  his  son. 

Thus  terminated  the  second  reign — the  hundred  days 
of  Napoleon. 

By  this  time,  however,  Labedoyere's '  violent  lan- 
guage in  the  senate — his  repeated  protestations  that, 
unless  Napoleon  II.  were  recognized,  the  abdication  of 
his  father  was  null,  and  that  the  country  which  could 
hesitate  about  such  an  act  of  justice  was  worthy  of 
nothing  but  slavery — beg;in  to  produce  a  powerful  ef- 
fect among  the  regular  soldiery  in  Paris.  The  senate 


382  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  [1815. 

called  on  Napoleon  himself  to  signify  to  the  army  that 
he  no  longer  claimed  any  authority  over  them  ;  and  he 
complied,  though  not  without  mingling  many  expres- 
sions highly  offensive  to  those  whose  mandate  be  obey- 
ed. A  provisional  government,  however,  consisting 
of  Fouche,  Carnot,  and  three  more,  was  forthwith  pro- 
claimed ;  and  when  the  first  of  these  persons  conceived 
that  Napoleon's  continued  presence  in  the  capital  might 
produce  disturbances,  and  accordingly  requested  him 
to  withdraw  to  Malmaison,  he  found  himself  obliged  to 
do  so.  This  was  on  the  24th ;  and  no  sooner  was  he 
established  in  this  villa,  than  it  became  obvious  to  him- 
self that  he  was  in  fact  a  prisoner.  Fouche"  s  police 
surrounded  him  on  all  hands ;  and  the  military  duties 
about  Malmaison  were  discharged  by  a  party 'of  the 
national  guard,  attached  to  Louis  XVIII.,  and  com- 
manded by  general  Beker,  an  officer  well  known  to  be 
personally  hostile  to  the  fallen  sovereign. 

The  relics  of  Waterloo,  and  Grouchy's  division, 
having  at  length  been  gathered  together  under  Soult, 
at  Laon,  were  now  marching  towards  Paris,  and  follow- 
ed hard  behind  by  Wellington  and  Blucher.  The  pro- 
visional government  began  to  be  seriously  alarmed  lest 
Napoleon  should,  by  some  desperate  effort,  escape  from 
Malmaison,  and  once  more  place  himself  at  the  head 
of  a  considerable  armed  force.  He  himself,  indeed, 
was  continually  sending  to  them,  requesting  permission 
to  take  the  field  as  general  for  Napoleon  II. ;  and  one 
of  the  government,  Carnot,  was  heartily  desirous  that 
this  prayer  should  be  granted.  Under  such  circum- 
stances, Fouche,  who  had,  throughout,  corresponded 
with  and  plotted  against  all  parties,  now  employed 
every  art  to  persuade  Napoelon  that  the  only  course, 
whether  of  safety  or  of  dignity,  that  remained  for  him 
was  to  fly  immediately  to  the  United  States  of  Ameri- 
ca ;  and,  that  nothing  may  be  wanting  to  show  how  the 
great  and  the  little  were  perpetually  intermingled  in  the 
fortunes  of  Bonaparte,  one  of  the  means  adopted  by 
this  intriguer,  and  not  the  least  effectual,  was  that  of 
stimulating  the  personal  creditors  of  the  fallen  emperor 
and  his  family  to  repair  incessantly  to  Malmaison,  and 


1815.]  AT    ROCHEFORT.  383 

torment  him  with  demands  of  payment.  Meantime, 
Fouche  sent  to  the  duke  of  Wellington,  announcing 
that  Napoleon  had  made  up  his  mind  to  repair  to 
America,  and  requesting  a  safe-conduct  for  him  across 
the  Atlantic.  The  duke  replied  that,  he  had  no  au- 
thority to  grant  any  passports  to  Napoleon  Bonaparte; 
and  the  only  consequence  (as  Fouche  had  perhaps  an- 
ticipated) was,  that  the  English  admiralty  quickened 
their  diligence,  and  stationed  no  less  than  thirty  cruisers 
along  the  western  coasts  of  France,  for  the  purpose  of 
intercepting  the  disturber  of  the  world  in  his  meditated 
flight. 

Fouche,  in  communicating  to  Napoleon  the  refusal 
of  Wellington,  took  care  to  signify  his  fears  that  the 
English  government  might  adopt  such  measures  as 
these,  and  to  build  on  this  a  new  argument  for  the 
hastening  of  the  emperor's  departure  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Paris.  He  informed  him  that  two  frigates  and 
some  smaller  vessels  awaited  his  orders  at  Rochefort. 
and  assured,  him,  that  if  he  repaired  thither  on  the  in- 
stant, he  would  still  be  in  time. 

Napoleon  hesitated,  but  at  length  yielded ;  and  on 
the  28th  of  June  left  Malmaison,  accompanied  by  Sa- 
vary,  Bertrand,  and  others  of  his  attached  servants, 
and  attended  by  a  considerable  guard. 

He  reached  Rochefort  on  the  3d  of  July,  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  the  prefect's  house,  with  the  view 
of  embarking  immediately :  but  he  forthwith  was  in- 
formed that  a  British  line-of-battle  ship  (the  Bellerophon, 
captain  Maitland)  and  some  smaller  vessels  of  war 
were  off  the  roads,  and  given  to  understand  that  the 
commanders  of  the  squadron  at  his  own  disposal  show- 
ed no  disposition  to  attempt  the  passage  out  in  face  of 
these  watchers.  A  Danish  merchant  ship  was  then 
hired,  and  the  emperor  occupied  himself  with  various 
devices  for  concealing  his  person  in  the  hold  of  this 
vessel.  But  the  Danish  captain  convinced  him  ere 
long  that  the  British  searchers  would  not  be  likely  to 
pass  him  undetected,  and  this  plan  too  was  abandoned. 
Some  young  French  midshipman  then  gallantly  offered 
to  act  as  the  crew  of  a  small  flat  coasting  vessel,  a 


384  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1815. 


« 


ehausse-marree,  and  attempt  the  escape  in  this  way 
under  cloud  of  night.  But  all  experienced  seamen 
concurred  in  representing  the  imminent  hazard  of  ex- 
posing such  a  vessel  to  the  Atlantic,  as  well  as  the 
numberless  chances  of  its  also  being  detected  by  the 
English  cruisers.  "  Wherever  wood  can  swim,"  said 
Napoleon,  "  there  I  am  sure  to  find  this  flag  of  Eng- 
land." 

Meanwhile,  time  passed  on,  and  it  became  known 
that  the  French  army  had  once  more  retired  from  be- 
fore the  walls  of  Paris,  under  a  convention  :  that  Wel- 
lington and  Blucher  were  about  to  enter  the  city,  and 
reseat  Louis  oh  his  throne  ;  that  the  royalist  were  eve- 
rywhere assuming  the  decided  advantage — that  the 
white  flag  was  already  hoisted  in  the  neighboring  town 
of  Rochelle — and  that  it  would  be  so  at  Rochefort 
itself  on  the  instant,  were  his  person  removed.  Under 
such  circumstances,  to  attempt  a  journey  into  the  inte- 
rior of  France  with  the  view  of  rejoining  Soult,  now 
marching  on  the  Loire,  or  with  any  other  purpose, 
must  needs  expose  Napoleon  to  every  chance  of  fall- 
ing into  the  hands  of  the  Bourbons ;  and  at  length, 
since  it  was  impossible  to  sail  out  of  Rochefort  with- 
out the  consent  of  the  English,  it  was  resolved  to  open 
a  negotiation  with  their  commander. 

On  the  10th  of  July,  Savary  and  Count  Las  Cases 
came  off  with  a  flag  of  truce,  and  began  their  conver- 
sation by  stating  that  the  emperor  had  been  promised 
a  safe-conduct  for  America,  and  asking  if  the  docu- 
ment were  in  captain  Maitland's  hands  ?  No  safe- 
conduct  of  any  kind  had  been  promised  or  contempla- 
ted by  any  English  authority  whatever ;  and  the  cap- 
tain could  only  answer  that,  as  far  as  concerned  him- 
self, his  orders  were  to  make  every  effort  to  prevent 
Bonaparte  from  escaping,  and,  if  so  fortunate  as  to  ob- 
tain possession  of  his  person,  to  sail  at  once  with  him 
for  England.  Savary  and  Las  Cases  made  great  efforts 
to  persuade  Maitland  that  Napoleon's  removal  from 
France  was  a  matter  of  pure  voluntary  choice  ;  but 
this  the  British  officer  considered  as  a  question  where- 
with he  had  nothing  to  do.  The  utmost  the  French- 


1815.]  AT    ROCHEFORT.  385 

men  could  extract  from  him  was  that  he,  as  a  private 
individual,  had  no  reason  to  doubt  but  that  Bonaparte, 
if  he  sailed  for  England  in  the  Bellerophon,  would  be 
well  treated  there. 

The  same  personages  returned  on  the  14th,  and 
another  conversation,  longer,  but  to  the  same  purpose, 
was  held  by  them  with  Maitland,  in  the  presence  of 
captain  Sartorius  and  captain  Gambler,  both  of  the 
royal  navy.  These  gentlemen  have  corroborated  com- 
pletely the  statement  of  Maitland,  that  he.  on  the 
second  as  on  the  first  interview,  continued  to  guard  the 
Frenchmen  against  the  remotest  conception  of  his  be- 
ing entitled  to  offer  any  pledge  whatever  to  Napoleon, 
except  that  he  would  convey  him  in  safety  off  the 
English  coast,  there  to  abide  the  determination  of  the 
English  government.  Savary  and  Las  Cases,  on  the 
contrary,  persisted  in  asserting  that  Maitland,  on  the 
4th  of  July,  gave  a  pledge  that  Napoleon,  if  he  came 
on  board  the  Bellerophon,  should  be  received  there,  not 
as  a  prisoner  at  war,  but  as  a  voluntary  guest,  and  that 
it  was  solely  in  consequence  of  this  pledge  that  Napo* 
leon  finally  resolved  to  embark.  But  there  is  one  piece 
of  evidence  in  contradiction  of  their  story,  of  which 
even  themselves  could  hardly  dispute  the  weight — to 
wit,  the  date  of  the  following  letter  to  the  prince-regent 
of  England,  which  general  Gourand  brought  out  the 
same  evening  to  the  Bellerophon,  and  which  clearly 
proves — that  what  Napoleon  ultimately  did  on  the  15th, 
depended  in  nowise  on  anything  that  Maitland  said  on 
the  14th. 

"Rochefort,  July  THE  13TH,  1815. 
"  Royal  Highness, 

"A  victim  to  the  factions  which  divide  my 
country,  and  to  the  hostility  of  the  greatest  powers  of 
Europe,  I  have  terminated  my  political  career,  and 
come,  like  Themistocles,  to  seat  myself  on  the  hearth 
of  the  British  people.  I  put  myself  under  the  protec- 
tion of  their  laws,  which  I  claim  from  your  royal  high- 
ness, as  the  most  powerful,  the  most  constant,  and  the 
most  generous  of  my  enemies.  oc  NAPOLEON." 
Q  ^° 


386  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1815. 

Maitland  sent  on  Gourgaud  in  the  Slaney  with  this 
letter  ;  and  having  once  more  addressed  Las  Cases  in 
these  words — "You  will  recollect  that  I  am  not  autho- 
rized to  stipulate  as  to  the  reception  of  Bonaparte  in 
England,  but  that  he  must  consider  himself  as  entirely 
at  the  disposal  of  his  royal  highness  the  prince  regent'' 
— prepared  his  ship  for  the  reception  of  the  fallen  em- 
peror. 

On  the  15th,  the  Epervier  brig  brought  him  out  of 
the  Aix  roads;  but  wind  and  tide  being  unfavorable, 
Maitland  sent  the  barge  of  the  Bellerophon  to  transport 
him  to  the  ship.  The  officers  and  most  of  the  crew 
of  the  Epervier  saw  him  depart,  with  tears  in  their 
eyes,  and  continued  to  cheer  him  as  long  as  their 
voices  could  be  heard.  Captain  Maitland  received 
him  respectfully,  but  without  any  salute  or  distinguished 
honors.  Napoleon  uncovered  himself  on  reaching  the 
quarter-deck,  and  said,  in  .a  firm  tone  of  voice,  "  I 
come  to  place  myself  under  the  protection  of  your 
prince  and  laws." 

On  board  the  Bellerophon,  as  before  in  the  Undaunted, 
Bonaparte  made  himself  very  popular  among  both  offi- 
cers and  crew.  He  examined  everything — praised 
everything — extolled  the  English  nation — above  all,  the 
English  navy — and  even  admitted  that  the  duke  of 
Wellington,  "equal  to  himself  in  all  other  military 
qualities,  was  superior  in  prudence."  On  the  23d,  they 
passed  Ushant,  and  Napoleon  gazed  long  and  mourn- 
fully, and  for  the  last  time,  on  the  coast  of  France. 
On  the  24th,  the  Bellerophon,  entered  Torbay,  and 
Maitland  was  instantly  admonished  to  permit  no  com- 
munication of  any  kind  between  his  ship  and  the  coast. 
On  the  26th,  Maitland  was  ordered  round  to  Plymouth 
Sound  :  and  the  arrival  of  Bonaparte  having  by  this 
time  transpired,  the  ship  was  instantly  surrounded  by 
swarms  of  boats,  filled  with  persons  whose  curiosity 
nothing  could  repress.  There  was  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  the  ship  itself  clear  of  these  eager 
multitudes.  Napoleon  appeared  on  the  deck,  was  greet- 
ed with  huzzas,  and  bowed  and  smiled  in  return. 

On  the  31st  of  July,  Sir  II.  Bunbury,  under-secreta- 


1815.]       ON  BOARD  THE  BELLEROPHON.         387 

ry  of  state,  and  lord  Keith,  admiral  of  the  Channel 
fleet,  repaired  on  board  the  Bellerophon,  and  announced 
the  final  resolution  of  the  British  government :  namely, 
1st,  That  general  Bonaparte  should  not  be  landed  in 
England,  but  removed  forthwith  to  St.  Helena,  as  being 
the  situation  in  which,  more  than  any  other  at  their 
command,  the  government  thought  security  against  a 
second  escape,  and  the  indulgence  to  himself  of  per- 
sonal freedom  and  exercise,  might  be  reconciled  :  2dly, 
That,  with  the  exceptions  of  Savary  and  L'Allemand, 
he  might  take  with  him  any  three  officers  he  chose,  as 
also  his  surgeon,  and  twelve  domestics. 

This  letter  was  read  in  French  by  Sir  Henry  Bun- 
bury.  Napoleon  listened  without  look  or  gesture  of 
impatience  or  surprise.  Being  then  asked  if  he  had 
anything  to  reply,  he  with  perfect  calmness  of  voice 
and  manner  protested  against  the  orders  to  which  he 
had  been  listening,  and  against  the  right  claimed  by 
the  English  government  to  dispose  of  him  as  a  prisoner 
of  war.  "  I  came  into  your  ship,"  said  he,  "  as  I  would 
into  one  of  your  villages.  If  I  had  been  told  I  was  to 
be  a  prisoner,  I  would  not  have  come/'  He  then  ex- 
patiated at  great  length  on  the  title  given  him — Gene- 
ral Bonaparte — and  on  the  right  which  he  had  to  be 
considered  as  a  sovereign  prince ;  he  was,  he  said, 
three  months  before,  as  much  emperor  of  Elba,  as  Louis 
was  king  of  France,  and,  by  invading  another  monarch's 
dominions,  could  not  have  forfeited  his  own  rank  as  a 
monarch.  He  next  adverted  to  the  ignoble  attitude  in 
which  England  would  place  herself  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world  by  abusing  his  confidence — hinted  that  either  his 
father-in-law  or  the  czar  would  have  treated  him  far 
differently — and  concluded  by  expressing  his  belief  that 
the  climate  and  confinement  of  St.  Helena  would  kill 
him,  and  his  resolution,  therefore,  not  to  go  to  St.  He- 
lena. All  this  was,  however,  in  vain.  England  was 
by  no  means  disposed  to  relax  her  hold.  Upon  the 
principle  that  the  end  justified  the  means  she  persisted 
in  a  course  which  viewed  by  itself  can  only  be  regard- 
ed as  injustice.  In  reply  to  all  Bonaparte's  protesta- 
tions, he  only  received  the  quiet  answer  that  admiral 


388  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1815. 

Sir  George  Cockburn  was  ready  to  receive  him  on 
board  the  Noithumberland,  and  convey  him  to  St.  He- 
lena. No  resource  was  left  but  in  submission,  and  the 
fallen  emperor  bowed  in  calm  dignity  to  the  stroke. 

On  the  8th  of  August  the  Northumberland  sailed,  and 
the  exile  had  his  first  view  of  his  destined  retreat  on 
the  15th  of  October,  1815.  During  the  voyage,  Sir 
George  Cockburn  departed  from  some  observances  of 
respect  into  which  captain  Maitland  had  very  naturally 
fallen,  under  very  different  circumstances.  The  admi- 
ral, in  a  word,  did  not  permit  Napoleon  to  assume  the 
first  place  on  board  the  Northumberland.  He  did  the 
honors  of  the  table  himself;  nor  did  he  think  it  neces- 
sary to  break  up  his  company  immediately  after  dinner, 
because  the  ex-emperor  chose  to  rise  then — in  adhe- 
rence to  the  custom  of  French  society  :  neither  did  he 
man  his  yards  or  fire  salutes  on  any  occasion,  as  is  done 
in  the  case  of  crowned  heads,  nor  follow  the  example 
of  the  French  suite  in  remaining  at  all  times  uncovered 
in  the  presence  of  Napoleon.  With  these  exceptions, 
general  Bonaparte  was  treated  with  all  the  respect 
which  great  genius  and  great  misfortunes  could  claim 
from  a  generous  mind ;  nor  was  he  on  the  whole  insen- 
sible to  the  excellent  conduct  either  of  Maitland  or  of 
Cockburn.  Cruelly  and  most  unjustly  attacked,  as  the 
former  had  been,  by  Las  Cases  and  Savary — and  by 
Napoleon — when  the  captain  of  the  Bellerophon  comes 
to  record  his  final  sentiments  towards  his  prisoner,  it  is 
in  these  affecting  words — "  It  may  appear  surprising 
that  a  possibility  should  exist  of  a  British  officer  being 
prejudiced  in  favor  of  one  who  had  caused  so  many 
calamities  to  his  country  ;  but  to  such  an  extent  did 
he  possess  the  power  of  pleasing,  that  there  are  few 
people  who  could  have  sat  at  the  same  table  with  him 
for  nearly  a  month,  as  I  did,  without  feeling  a  sensation 
of  pity,  perhaps  allied  to  regret,  that  a  man  possessed 
of  so  many  fascinating  qualities,  and  who  had  held  so 
high  a  station  in  life,  should  be  reduced  to  the  situation 
in  which  I  saw  him." 

To  the  extraordinary  power  of  fascination  which 
Napoleon  had  at  command,  a  still  more  striking  testi- 


1816.]  AT    LONGWOOD.  389 

mony  occurs  in  ah  anecdote,  apparently  well  authen- 
ticated, of  lord  Keith.  When  some  one  alluded  in  this 
old  admiral's  hearing  to  Bonaparte's  repeated  request 
of  a  personal  interview  with  the  prince-regent,  "  On  my 
conscience,"  said  lord  Keith,  "I  believe,  if  you  consent 
to  that,  they  will  be  excellent  friends  within  half  an 
hour." 

At  the  time  of  Napoleon's  banishment,  St.  Helena 
afforded  little  accommodation  for  such  a  guest,  with 
the  exception  of  Plantation  House,  the  country  resi- 
dence of  the  governor,  which,  however,  was  expressly 
prohibited  from  being  assigned  as  the  residence  of  the 
fallen  emperor.  Sir  George  Cockburn  made  choice  of 
Longwood,  a  country-house  occasionally  occupied  by 
the  lieutenant-governor,  as  most  suitable  to  afford  such 
accommodation  as  was  sufficient  for  a  captive  of  the 
rank  at  which  Napoleon  was  rated  by  the  British  govern- 
ment. This  situation  was  also  approved  of  by  Napo- 
leon himself,  and,  until  the  necessary  alterations  could 
be  made,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  a  small  house,  or 
cottage,  called  the  Briars,  in  which  he  could  only  have 
one  spare  room  for  his  accommodation. 

On  the  9th  of  December,  Longwood  received  Napo- 
leon and  part  of  his  household,  and  a  space  of  about 
twelve  miles  in  circumference  was  traced  off,  within 
which  the  captive  might  take  exercise  without  being 
attended  by  any  one.  Beyond  that  boundary  a  chain 
of  sentinels  was  stationed  to  prevent  his  passing,  unless 
accompanied  by  a  British  officer.  Every  precaution 
which  the  peculiarity  of  the  island  presented,  was  taken 
to  prevent  the  possibility  of  escape. 

In  April,  1816,  Sir  George  Cockburn  was  superseded 
by  Sir  Hudson  Lowe,  who  remained  governor  of  St. 
Helena,  and  had  the  charge  of  Napoleon's  person  until 
his  death.  The  conduct  of  this  officer  has  been  much 
and  justly  censured  by  various  writers.  Napoleon  con- 
ceived and  retained  from  the  first  a  violent  dislike  to- 
wards him ;  and  the  governor,  as  soon  as  he  became 
aware  of  this,  did  not  fail  fully  to  reciprocate  it.  It 
seemed  that  every  circumstance,  whether  of  business 
or  of  etiquette,  which  occurred  at  St.  Helena,  WHS  cer- 


390  NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE.  [1820. 

tain  to  occasion  some  dispute  between  the  two,  the 
progress  and  termination  of  which  seldom  passed 
without  an  aggravation  of  mutual  hostilities.  It  was 
deemed  necessary  that  the  greatest  vigilance  should  be 
exercised,  which  could  not  be  done  without  giving 
offence  to  the  haughty  mind  of  Napoleon ;  and  rather 
than  submit  to  the  restraints  which  were  imposed,  he 
often  chose  to  seclude  himself  within  the  precincts  of 
Longwood.  It  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  the  con- 
stant irritation  in  which  he  was  kept  towards  the 
governor,  was  a  principal  means  of  shortening  his  life. 

During  the  five  years  and  seven  months  that  he  lived 
in  the  island,  few  circumstances  occurred  to  vary  the 
melancholy  tenor  of  his  existence.  His  habits  of  life 
were  of  the  most  regular  and  simple  character;  he 
never  took  more  than  two  meals  a  day,  and  concluded 
each  with  a  cup  of  coffee.  He  generally  breakfasted 
about  ten  o'clock,  and  dined  at  eight.  He  preferred 
plain  food,  and  ate  plentifully,  with  an  apparent  ap- 
petite. A  very  few  glasses  of  claret,  scarce  amounting 
to  an  English  pint,  which  he  chiefly  drank  at  dinner, 
completed  his  meal.  He  sometimes  drank  champaigne, 
but  his  constitutional  sobriety  was  such  that  a  large 
glass  of  that  wine  would  bring  the  color  to  his  cheek ; 
and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  few  men  were  ever  less 
influenced  by  the  appetites  peculiar  to  man  than  Bona- 
parte. He  was  exceedingly  particular  as  to  the  neat- 
ness and  cleanliness  of  his  person,  and  this  habit  he 
preserved  to  his  death. 

It  had  been  generally  stated,  as  early  as  1817,  that 
the  health  of  Napoleon  had  become  impaired,  and  he 
himself  made  use  of  it  as  a  reason  for  obtaining  more 
indulgence ;  but  as  his  illness  was  not  then  apparent, 
his  statement  was  only  considered  as  a  complaint  made 
to  annoy  the  governor.  But  it  is  probable  that  even 
at  that  period  he  felt  the  symptoms  of  that  internal 
malady  which  consumed  his  life — a  cancer  in  the 
stomach.  Towards  the  end  of  1820  the  symptoms  of 
his  disease  increased,  the  disorganization  in  the  diges- 
tive functions  became  more  and  more  apparent,  and 
his  reluctance  to  take  any  medicine,  as  if  from  mi  in- 


1821.]  DIES    AT    LONGWOOD.  391 

stinctive  persuasion  that  the  power  of  physic  was  in 
vain,  continued  as  obstinate  as  ever.  From  this  time 
his  health  began  seriously  to  decline,  and  his  mind  be- 
came more  and  more  depressed.  He  often  remained 
silent  for  many  hours,  suffering,  as  may  be  supposed, 
much  pain,  and  immersed  in  profound  melancholy. 
About  the  end  of  January,  1821,  he  appeared  to  resume 
some  energy,  and  made  some  attempt  to  overcome  the 
disease  by  exercise,  but  he  found  himself  unequal  to 
the  effort,  and  that  his  strength  was  rapidly  sinking 
under  him.  In  the  month  of  March  the  disease  assumed 
a  character  still  more  formidable,  and  on  the  3d  of  May 
it  was  seen  that  the  life  of  Napoleon  was  drawing  evi- 
dently to  a  close. 

The  attendants  would  fain  have  called  in  more  medi- 
cal men  ;  but  they  durst  not,  knowing  his  feelings  on 
this  head  ;  "  even  had  he  been  speechless,"  said  one  of 
them,  "  we  could  not  have  brooked  his  eye."  The  last 
sacraments  of  the  church  were  now  administered  by  Vig- 
nali.  He  lingered  on  thenceforth  in  a  delirious  stupor. 
On  the  4th,  the  island  was  swept  by  a  tremendous  storm, 
which  tore  up  almost  all  the  trees  about  Longwood  by 
the  roots,  The  5th  was  another  day  of  tempests  ;  and 
about  six  in  the  evening,  Napoleon — having  pronounced 
the  words  "  tete  d'armee,"  passed  forever  from  the 
dreams  of  battle. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  tne  body  being  opened  by  An- 
tomrnarchi,  in  the  presence  of  five  British  medical  men, 
and  a  number  of  the  military  officers  of  the  garrison, 
as  well  as  Bertrand  and  Montholon,  the  cause  of  death 
was  sufficiently  manifest.  A  cancerous  ulcer  occupied 
almost  the  whole  of  the  stomach. 

Napoleon  desired,  in  his  will,  that  his  body  should  be 
buried  "on  the  banks  of  the  Seine,  among  the  French 
people,  whom  he  had  loved  so  well."  Sir  Hudson 
Lowe  could  not,  of  course,  expect  the  king  of  France 
to  permit  this  to  take  place ;  and  a  grave  was  prepared 
among  some  weeping  willows  beside  a  fountain,  in  a 
small  valley  called  Slanes,  very  near  to  Longwood.  It 
was  under  the  shade  of  these  willows  that  the  emperor 
had  had»his  favorite  evening  seat;  and  it  was  there  he 


392  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.          [1821 

had  been  heard  to  say,  that  if  he  must  be  interred  in 
St.  Helena,  he  should  be  pleased  to  lie. 

The  body  of  the  emperor,  clad  in  his  usual  uniform, 
was  now  exposed  to  view,  and  visited  accordingly  by 
all  the  population  of  the  island.  The  soldiers  of  the 
garrison  passed  the  couch  slowly,  in  single  file ;  each 
office-r  pausing,  in  his  turn,  to  press  respectfully  the 
frozen  hand  of  the  dead.  On  the  8th,  his  household, 
the  governor,  the  admiral,  and  all  the  civil  and  military 
authorities  of  the  place,  attended  him  to  the  grave — 
the  pall  spread  over  his  coffin  being  the  military  cloak 
which  he  wore  at  Marengo.  The  road  not  being  pass- 
able for  carriages,  a  party  of  English  grenadiers  bore 
Napoleon  to  his  tomb.  The  admiral's  ship  fired 
minute  guns,  while  Vignali  read  the  service  of  his 
church.  The  coffin  then  descended  amid  a  discharge 
of  three  volleys  from  fifteen  cannon;  and  a  huge  stone 
was  lowered  over  the  remains  of  one  who  needs  no 
epitaph. 


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2Q»W63Lt 

REC'D  LD 

HnV22'63"W  A 

LD  21-100m-7,'39(402s) 

L13 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


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|»BJ 


